NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Gretchen Lowe: Saigon Crispy Pancakes and slow-cooked caramel salmon

NZ Herald
28 Dec, 2018 09:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Saigon crispy pancakes with fragrant herbs and caramel chilli pork.
Saigon crispy pancakes with fragrant herbs and caramel chilli pork.

Saigon crispy pancakes with fragrant herbs and caramel chilli pork.

If you really want to impress guests this summer, have a go at these sizzling pancakes, writes Gretchen Lowe.

Like everyone, both my mind and my to-do-lists have been in overdrive most of December so New Year's for me is truly a time to slow down and connect with precious people I don't often see.

This year, we're all heading home to Mum and Dad's in Opoiki for New Years with many beach days and BBQs to follow.

This one's going to be extra special as my sister Bec is home from the UK so I decided to recreate our two favourite dishes from an unforgettable trip to Vietnam, eating our way north from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi.

These are both fairly simple entertaining dishes with nods to Vietnamese caramel - one of the cornerstones of local cooking.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It's a sticky, savoury sweet glaze that when combined with fish, pork or chicken makes a sublime dish, especially with mountains of fresh greens.

Saigon Crispy Pancakes w/ Fragrant Herbs & Caramel Chilli Pork
Serves 4

If you really want to impress, have a go at these sizzling pancakes (banh xeo). They're fairly simple with just a few tricks to pulling them off - the batter needs to rest at least 30 minutes or (even better) overnight and the pan must be smoking hot. Traditionally they're served with pork belly and prawns but I've simplified by using pork sausage.

Pancakes
1 cup rice flour
2 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp turmeric
3/4 cup coconut milk
½ cup water
½ cup beer

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Soy Nuoc Cham
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, finely grated

Chilli Caramel Pork
500g pork sausages, skin removed and crumbled
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

To assemble
3 cups pea shoots
3 cups fragrant greens (mint, basils, coriander)

For the pancakes whisk together all ingredients and a good pinch of salt. Rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

For the nuoc cham, add all ingredients to a jar and shake until mixed and sugar is dissolved.

For the caramel pork, heat a splash of peanut or vegetable oil in a large pan over high heat.

Add the crumbled pork and cook for 3 minutes or so breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.

Add the sugar and fish sauce. Stir, then leave it to cook without touching until all the juices cook out and the pork starts caramelised - about 2 minutes. Stir it and leave it again, without stirring, for around 30 seconds to get more caramelisation. Add chilli and repeat twice more until caramelised to your liking.

For the pancakes, heat 1 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil over medium-high heat add 2⁄3 cup of batter to the pan. Tilt and swirl the pan to coat the bottom with a thin layer. Cook until the bottom of the pancake is golden and crisp, about 4-5 minutes.
Slide the pancake onto a plate and top with ¼ of the greens and caramel pork then fold in half.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve with Nuoc Cham on the side.

Slow Cooked Caramel Salmon w/ Mango Slaw
Serves 6-8

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Caramel is incredible on salmon, especially when the rich sweetness is balanced with a tangy mango slaw. Cooking the fish at a low temperature allows it to heat up slowly, helping the proteins to relax. You're left with salmon that looks almost the same as it did when it went into your oven, but is now fully cooked and meltingly tender.

Salmon
1.5kg salmon fillet, deboned, skin on
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 large thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 red chilli, finely sliced
¼ cup fish sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¾ cup brown sugar

Mango Slaw
1 mango, peeled and thinly sliced
½ a red cabbage, shredded
2 large bunches mint and coriander
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup caster sugar
1 small red chilli, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
¼ cup each fish sauce and lemon or lime juice

Slow-cooked caramel salmon with mango slaw.
Slow-cooked caramel salmon with mango slaw.

Heat oven to 150°C fanbake. Season salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Place in a large baking dish and set aside.

Drizzle oil in a frypan over a medium heat. Gently fry ginger, garlic and chilli for a minute or two. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sugar along with ½ cup of water. Simmer until sugar has dissolved then pour over salmon.

Bake until salmon is just turning opaque around the edges and is nearly cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, for mango slaw, toss together mango, cabbage, herbs and spring onions in. For the dressing stir all ingredients together then just before serving, toss through salad.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

From farm roots to vet career: New graduate's journey to change farmer perceptions

28 May 06:00 PM
Premium
New Zealand

New partners sought after sudden closure of Napier bar and restaurant

28 May 06:00 PM
New Zealand

'It's pumping': How a rural mother's catering venture became a community staple

28 May 06:00 PM

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
'Pushing them hard': Media Minister on TVNZ's financials...  and RNZ's falling radio ratings
Media Insider

'Pushing them hard': Media Minister on TVNZ's financials... and RNZ's falling radio ratings

28 May 05:53 PM
Watch - 'National emergency': Mental health patients absconding from EDs
New Zealand

Watch - 'National emergency': Mental health patients absconding from EDs

28 May 05:00 PM
Rep cricketer emailed club to play social footy, becomes National League sensation
New Zealand

Rep cricketer emailed club to play social footy, becomes National League sensation

28 May 05:00 PM
Morning quiz: Which country is the largest producer of cherries in the world?
New Zealand

Morning quiz: Which country is the largest producer of cherries in the world?

28 May 05:00 PM
'Drenched in blood': Fire chief awarded bravery medal after violent hospital ordeal
Northern Advocate

'Drenched in blood': Fire chief awarded bravery medal after violent hospital ordeal

28 May 05:00 PM

Latest from New Zealand

From farm roots to vet career: New graduate's journey to change farmer perceptions

From farm roots to vet career: New graduate's journey to change farmer perceptions

28 May 06:00 PM

Sarah Fannin wants to work alongside farmers as an asset and an ally for animal health.

Premium
New partners sought after sudden closure of Napier bar and restaurant

New partners sought after sudden closure of Napier bar and restaurant

28 May 06:00 PM
'It's pumping': How a rural mother's catering venture became a community staple

'It's pumping': How a rural mother's catering venture became a community staple

28 May 06:00 PM
Premium
Improving Māori health could boost Hawke’s Bay economy by $120m a year: study

Improving Māori health could boost Hawke’s Bay economy by $120m a year: study

28 May 06:00 PM
Explore the hidden gems of NSW
sponsored

Explore the hidden gems of NSW

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search