Banh xeo
Photo: Andy Li · CC0

History

The name banh xeo means sizzling cake, for the hiss the batter makes hitting a screaming-hot pan. A Southern and central Vietnamese dish, the Saigon version is large and generously filled, its batter coloured and flavoured with turmeric and coconut milk. It is a hands-on, communal dish: you tear off a piece, roll it in lettuce or mustard greens with a fistful of herbs, and dunk it in nuoc cham. Specialists like Banh Xeo 46A near Tan Dinh built reputations on a single well-made crepe, and the dish drew international attention when Anthony Bourdain filmed at a Saigon banh xeo stall.

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Common allergens: Shellfish, Fish

Make it at home

Yield Makes 2 large crepesHands-on 30 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 200g rice flour
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 200ml coconut milk and 200ml water
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • 150g pork belly, thinly sliced
  • 150g raw prawns, peeled
  • 200g bean sprouts
  • Mustard greens or lettuce and mixed herbs to wrap
  • Nuoc cham for dipping

Method

  1. Whisk the rice flour, turmeric, coconut milk, water and spring onion into a thin batter and rest 15 minutes.
  2. In a hot, oiled pan, sear a few slices of pork and a couple of prawns until nearly cooked.
  3. Pour in a ladle of batter and swirl to coat the pan thinly; cook over high heat until the edges lift and crisp.
  4. Pile bean sprouts on one half, fold the crepe over, and cook until deep golden and crackly.
  5. Slide out, tear into pieces, wrap in greens and herbs, and dip in nuoc cham.

Tip from the editors. The pan must be very hot and the batter thin; a thick, cool crepe steams instead of crisping.

Where to eat banh xeo

Banh xeo in Ho Chi Minh City

Banh Xeo 46A ★ 4.3

$ VietnameseDistrict 1

Banh Xeo 46A is the sizzling-pancake specialist off Tan Dinh, where turmeric-yellow rice crepes stuffed with shrimp and pork come wrapped in herbs and greens.

OrderA whole banh xeo, torn into lettuce with herbs and fish sauce.

TipOne pancake is bigger than it looks; order one to start and share before adding more.

Directions

Secret Garden ★ 4.2

$$ VietnameseDistrict 1

Secret Garden hides on the rooftop of an old apartment block off Pasteur, serving home-style Southern Vietnamese cooking on a breezy open-air terrace.

OrderBanh xeo and the fresh spring rolls with boiled pork.

TipIt is up several flights inside an old building; look for the small sign and keep climbing.

Directions

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