Vietnamese sizzling crepe has been many of our travelers’ favorite street food, they love the color and they love the flavors. Banh xeo translates to ‘sizzling cake’ and its contents showcase the local region’s ingredients. Prior to the 1980s, this dish is popular among Central Vietnam farmers because they oftentimes used extra greens they couldn’t sell for this dish.
As farmers moved to the city, Saigon, looking for work, the packed these ingredients in banana leaves. By the late 1980s, this dish became popularized throughout Vietnam. Chefs in central Vietnam include star fruit and banana among their accompaniments, while southern chefs might toss mushrooms, coconut or even lotus into their pancakes. The further south you go, the bigger the banh xeo gets.
For those of our travelers wanting to make this Vietnamese sizzling crepe, also for our recent customers on Flavors of Hanoi French Quarter tour, this is the recipe teaching you to cook it at home.
INGREDIENTS FOR FOUR
- 1 lb rice flour
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup of beer
- 3 stalks scallion
Crepe
- 2 lb shrimp (36/40 size)
- ¾ lb pork belly
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 bag of bean sprouts
Veggie Platter
- 1 iceberg lettuce
- 1 bunch mustard leaves
- 5 – 6 sprigs of mint
- 1 bunch of cilantros
- 1 bunch of perilla
Dipping Sauce
- 10 tbsp of water
- 2 tbsp of sugar
- 2 tbsp of fish sauce
- 1 tbsp of lime juice
- 1 tsp of minced garlic
- 1 tsp of minced chili
STEPS
- Chop scallions diagonally into ½ inch long pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 lb of rice flour, 2 tsp turmeric powder, and ½ tsp salt. Mix evenly and add water. Add 1 cup of beer and scallion. Stir well and let batter sit for 30 minutes.
- Slice pork belly into thin strips. Remove shells and tails on the shrimp. Devein the shrimp.
- Use salt and pepper to season the pork belly and shrimp.
- Heat a large, heavy-bottom skillet (8-in diameter) on medium high heat. Add 1 tsp cooking oil.
- Fry 4 – 5 shrimps and 4 -5 pork slices until cooked thoroughly on both sides. Add 1/3 cup of batter and tilt the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter evenly. Cover and fry for 1 minute.
- Uncover and add 1 cup of bean sprouts, then cover again and fry for another 1 minute. Fold the crepe in half so that the 2 shrimps stay on opposite quarters. Fry for another 1 minute and transfer to a plate. Repeat to use all the batter.
- Take a large piece of lettuce, place some herbs, and roll it up.
- To create the sauce, in a bowl, combine sugar, water, and fish sauce together and stir it well. Add garlic, chili, and lime juice last.
There you go, the cooking above is for 4 persons. Total preparation is about 30 minutes, cooking time is about 1 hour. We hope you enjoy cooking Vietnamese banh xeo at home, and please contact us if there is anything we can help.
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