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If you’re looking to recreate this delicacy at home, here’s a guide on how to make that sizzling and crispy banh xeo. Two “secret” ingredients make this banh xeo crispy and light!
We brought our friend to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner. They have never really eaten at the Vietnamese restaurant before. Our minds were set on beef pho and our friends ordered the same. Then the waiter passed by us bringing this huge yellow-looking pancake (I thought it was an omelet, to be honest!) to the next table. We stopped the waiter and asked her what that was and she said it was banh xeo. That was my first exposure to banh xeo almost a decade ago and I never looked back!
What is Banh Xeo?
Banh Xeo, often translated as “sizzling pancake,” is a beloved Vietnamese dish that combines crispy rice flour crepes with various savory fillings. Named after the sound it makes when the batter hits the hot skillet, banh xeo is a perfect harmony of texture, flavor, and freshness. Its golden, crackling crust and tender fillings make it an iconic dish in Vietnamese cuisine.
This recipe employs a special step
Most banh xeo recipe requires that the batter is rested for at least several hours if not overnight to allow the flour and starch to get fully hydrated. This banh xeo recipe cooks a small portion of the batter until thickened before mixing into the main batter. By doing this you only need to rest the batter for 30 minutes.
Two secret ingredients are added to the batter
Well, maybe not really a secret, but you don’t commonly see these ingredients in banh xeo batter, but let me tell you though, they work beautifully to give you that crisp edges and texture and the crepes are light too
Rice Flour: Provides the base and lightness of the crepe.
Fine cornmeal: Yes, this is the “secret” ingredient in this batter. It only requires a small amount but please do not skip it
Turmeric: Adds color and a subtle earthy flavor.
Coconut Milk: Contributes a rich, slightly sweet undertone.
Carbonated or sparkling water: Yes, this is the other “secret” ingredient that contributes to that light and airy texture
Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes (Banh Xeo)
Ingredients
Batter 1:
- 15 g rice flour
- 125 ml water
- 125 ml canned coconut milk
Batter 2:
- 100 g rice flour
- 20 g fine cornmeal
- 240 g water
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 380 ml carbonated or sparkling water keep it cold in the fridge before using
- 2 stalks green onion finely chopped
For cooking:
- 1 Tbsp oil
Filling:
- 200 g pork tenderloin, belly, shoulder cut into thin strips
- 200 g shrimp medium or large, peeled, deveined
- 1 small onion peeled and thinly sliced
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 cups Fresh bean sprouts
To serve with:
- 224 g lettuce
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves or other fresh herb like mints
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
Nuoc cham :
- 50 g sugar
- 100 ml water
- 50 g fish sauce
- 25 ml lime juice
- 2 red chilis seeded if you like and finely chopped
Instructions
Making nuoc cham
- Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer until sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool down
Cook the filling:
- You can just boil the pork in water until cook, but I prefer to saute it a bit with some onion. So it's up to you if you don't want to do that
- Preheat 1 tsp of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until you start seeing smoke just starts to arise. Add the pork and onion and cook until the pork turns color and the onion is soft, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan
- To the same pan, add shrimp and salt and continue to cook until the shrimp just turn pink, about 1 minute or so. Remove from the pan to a plate and set aside
Prepare batter 1:
- Whisk the rice flour, water, and coconut milk in a saucepan until smooth.
- Put this on the stove and start on medium-low heat and continue to whisk until the mixture starts to thicken. Switch to a flexible spatula and scrape the side of the pan and continue to stir until the mixture starts to bubble and thickens.
- It should coat your spatula and have a consistency of a thick but slightly runny gravy. The whole process takes about 5 minutes or so. Set aside
Prepare batter 2:
- Whisk rice flour, cornmeal, salt, turmeric powder in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the sparkling water and whisk until combined.
- Add the warm batter 1 into batter 2 and continue to whisk until smooth. You will see a bit of grains from the cornmeal and that's fine. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. You can keep it up to 24 hours in the fridge.
Cook the crepes:
- Get the filling you have prepared earlier within your reach
- Prepare a wire rack set on top a rimmed baking pan. Turn on the oven to "warm" function if there's one, otherwise, turn it to 200 F (93 F)
- IMPORTANT TIPS: Wipe the skillet clean and preheat 1/2 tsp of oil over medium-high heat until smoke starts to arise. Don't use too much oil so the batter can cling to the side of the pan, creating crispy edges. If you use too much oil, the batter is just going to slide around on the pan
- For a 10-inch skillet, I need a bit less than 1/2 cup of batter for each crepe. Give the batter a really good stir after resting to make sure everything is evenly mixed as the starches tend to settle down at the bottom. Add the finely chopped green onion and give it a good stir again
- With one hand grabbing the handle of the pan, removing it from the heat, and the other hand pouring the batter into the pan and swirls the pan at the same time to distribute the batter to cover the surface of the pan and to have the batter reaches up the side of the pan a bit. That creates lacy crispy edges on the crepes later
- Add some of the pork and shrimp over one half of the crepe (I didn't use any shrimp in the photo, only pork). Try not to add too much. Add some bean sprouts over the filling. Drizzle a bit of oil using a small spoon on the edges of the pan.
- Continue to cook the crepe until the bottom of the pancake is firm and crisp, about 6 minutes over medium-low heat. The edge should be lacy and crisp and golden brown. Gently shake the skillet to loosen up
- Gently fold the crepes over to form a half-circle. Remove from the pan and put on a wire rack and keep it warm in the oven. This helps to preserve the crispy texture on the edges until they are ready to be served
- Continue cooking the next crepe. Wipe the pan clean if necessary before cooking the next. Remember to give the batter a good stir each time before you ladle it
To serve:
- Serve the crepes as soon as possible with the dipping sauce, lettuce, and herbs
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Tips to keep Banh Xeo crispy
Achieving and maintaining the signature crispiness of banh xeo can be tricky, but these tips will help you nail it every time:
1. Precook the batter: It’s an extra step, but not a difficult one, and only take less than 5 minutes. This step shorten the resting time for the batter but the batter is steady and doesn’t tear easily when you cook it
2. Use cornmeal: because cornmeal has that gritty texture, it gives that crispy texture in this banh xeo and you can’t even tell that there’s cornmeal in it
3. Rest for 30 minutes: You still need to rest the batter for 30 minutes before cooking the crepes
4. Keep the batter cold in the fridge: The cold will help to preserve the fizz from the carbonated/sparkling water
5. Don’t Overfill: While it’s tempting to load up on fillings, too much moisture from the ingredients can make the crepe soggy. Use a modest amount of fillings and drain any excess liquid from items like shrimp or bean sprouts before adding them.
6. Cook it long enough: The crepes need to be cooked long enough to ensure that crispy texture
7. Keep them warm or serve immediately: Banh xeo is best enjoyed fresh off the skillet. As it cools, the crepe will soften, losing its signature crunch. If you don’t plan to serve immediately, keep them warm in the oven to preserve that crispy texture
Variations on fillings
While the batter is the star of banh xeo, the fillings make it a complete dish. Popular combinations include:
1. Shrimp and Pork: A classic pairing, often combined with mung beans and bean sprouts.
2. Vegetarian: Mushrooms, tofu, and steamed mung beans make for a satisfying meat-free option.
3. Seafood: A mix of shrimp, squid, and scallops for a coastal twist.
How to eat banh xeo
A Vietnamese friend told me once that there was no glamorous way of eating banh xeo! You simply tear off some of the crepes, put it on a piece of lettuce, add some herbs, roll it up and dip it into the sauce and into your mouth 🙂
2 comments
Ohhh…this is delicious. Never had it, but sure will try. Is this good to freeze? Except the fresh filling. Easy to get that together. Thanks learned something new. 👍🏼👍🏼
Hi Martha, yes banh xeo is delicious. Unfortunately, it can’t be kept frozen though! You can keep the batter for up to 24 hours in the fridge though and cook them when you are ready to serve them. Banh xeo is best made and served right away to enjoy that crisp texture.