Bánh xèo is another classic Vietnamese streetfood, especially in the South and central regions of the country. ‘Bánh’ loosely translates to cake in Vietnamese and ‘Xèo’ is the sizzling sound the batter makes when it is poured into the skillet.
This is a dish that I love making for non-Vietnamese friends to introduce them to Vietnamese cuisine beyond phở or in here France “bò bún”.
The best bánh xèo in Vietnam are usually found in street food stalls, as with much of Vietnamese cuisine. Specialized bánh xèo spots usually have 5-10 pans sizzling away at the same time. They are eaten hot off the pan with lettuce or mustard greens and a myriad of Vietnamese herbs like húng quế (Thai basil), tía tô (purple perilla), ngò/rau mùi (cilantro), etc., dipped in the classic savory and tangy Vietnamese nước mắm chấm.
The fragrant golden batter is made from rice flour, turmeric, green onion, coconut milk, water, and a touch of beer or soda water for extra crispiness. Like a lot of Vietnamese dishes, it’s naturally gluten-free. You’ll find different versions of bánh xèo across the country. In the central region, they’re usually smaller and thicker compared to the big, thin, and lacy version in the south.
The filling also varies from a mix of meat and seafood to only seafood in coastal areas. The version most commonly found in Ho Chi Minh City is filled with pork belly, shrimp, mung beans, and bean sprouts. This is the version I grew up with and the one I’m making today.
Though pork belly and shrimp are used traditionally, you can very easily make it vegan by substituting with fake meat, tofu, seitan, and/or veggies of your choice- king oyster mushrooms are a great option!
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Bánh xèo • Vietnamese Sizzling Pancake
Course: MainCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Medium6
bánh xèo30
minutes30
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Ingredients
- Batter
200 g 200 rice flour
100 ml 100 coconut milk
200 ml 200 water
50 ml 50 lager beer (alternative: soda water)
1 tsp 1 salt
1/2 tsp 1/2 turmeric powder
5 stalks 5 green onion
1 tbsp 1 vegetable oil
- Filling
300 g 300 pork belly (you can use uncured bacon)
6 6 shrimp (uncooked)
1 tbsp 1 fish sauce
1 1 shallot
200 g 200 bean sprouts
50 g 50 dry mung beans
1/2 1/2 medium white onion
- Dipping sauce
1.5 tbsp 1.5 fish sauce
1 tbsp 1 white granulated sugar
1 tbsp 1 rice/white vinegar (or lime juice to taste)
150 ml 150 water
3 cloves 3 garlic
Bird’s eye chili (optional/to taste)
- For serving
Lettuce
Herbs (thai basil, purple perilla, cilantro, mint, etc.)
Directions
- Soak mung beans for at least 1 hour. Rinse, then steam or boil until soft (about 10-15 minutes). Set aside.
- Peel and de-vein shrimp.
- Cut pork belly into 1/2 cm slices.
- Peel and mince shallot
- Add pork belly and shrimp to a bowl, along with fish sauce and minced shallot. Mix well to coat every piece and set aside.
- Thinly slice white onion pole-to-pole into thin strips/wedges.
- Dice the green parts of the green onions, we don’t need the white parts for this recipe.
- Whisk together all the ingredients for the batter, except the diced green onion. Add it in once the batter is fully mixed.
- Mince garlic and bird’s eye chili(es) if using
- Combine the fish sauce, sugar, vinegar or lime juice, and water in a bowl and stir until sugar dissolves.
- Add the mince garlic and chili in the dipping sauce and set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium and add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Swirl to coat the bottom and side.
NOTE: I recommend a 10-inch pan that is not non-stick (e.g. stainless steel) and has tall sides. This will help the fillings stay put and allow the batter to stick to the sides of the pan when you’re swirling it, creating the thin crispy edges. A nonstick pan will cause all the batter to move around instead of sticking to the bottom and sides, resulting in a thicker bánh xèo. - Add a few slices of pork belly and 2 halves of a shrimp evenly around the pan, and cook for about 30 seconds on each side.
- Pour in 1/2 cup of batter, moving as you pour to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
As soon as you pour the batter in, pick up the pan and swirl the extra batter around to coat the wall of the pan- you want a thin layer up on the side of the pan to get that super thin crispy edge.
TIP: mix the batter up every time before you scoop so you don’t take all the green onions in one go! - Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of mung beans, and add some white onion and a handful of bean sprouts across the top.
- Place a lid over the pan, reduce heat to medium low, and cook until all the batter has set and there is no more liquid batter sitting on top – about 3 minutes.
- Remove lid and continue cooking to let the bánh xèo become crispy. Check to make sure your stove is not too hot to prevent burning the bottom.
- Once the bottom layer is crispy and no longer sticking to the pan, use a spatula to lift one side and fold it in half.
- Remove to plate. Heat pan back up on medium and repeat from step 9 with the rest of the batter and filling.
- Serve with lettuce, herbs, and dipping sauce! Bánh xèo is best eaten immediately, so make and eat them in batches!
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