Destination
Hue
The story
Bánh xèo (literally sizzling cake, named for the loud hiss the batter makes when it hits the hot pan) is one of Vietnam's most-loved crepe dishes. A thin bright yellow batter of rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric is poured into a hot oiled pan, quickly topped with sautéed shrimp, sliced pork, bean sprouts, cooked mung beans and sliced green onion, then folded in half and cooked until the outside is deep gold and shatter-crisp. Served with a big plate of fresh mustard greens, lettuce, Thai basil, mint and perilla, plus a small bowl of nước chấm dipping sauce. Diners tear off pieces of the crispy crepe, wrap them in lettuce leaves with fresh herbs, dip into the sauce and eat with hands.
Method
Whisk rice flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar and turmeric in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in water, then coconut milk, until you have a smooth thin batter (like heavy cream). Stir in sliced spring onions. Rest 30 minutes.
Season pork and prawns with fish sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and garlic. Warm 1 tbsp oil in a pan; sear the pork 4 minutes, then add prawns and cook 90 seconds until pink. Reserve.
Whisk all nước chấm ingredients in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust; should be salty, sweet, sour and mildly spicy. Divide between small bowls.
Warm a 28cm heavy non-stick or seasoned cast iron pan over the highest heat until smoking. Add 2 tbsp oil.
Give the batter a stir. Pour a ladle of batter (about 150ml) into the hot pan, immediately swirling to spread thin. It should sizzle loudly.
On one half of the crepe, scatter a small handful of cooked pork and prawns, a pile of bean sprouts, 2 tbsp of mashed mung beans, and a few slices of onion. Cover the pan with a lid for 60 seconds to steam the sprouts.
Uncover. Cook 2 to 3 more minutes until the underside is deep gold and the edges are crispy. Fold the crepe in half over the filling with a spatula.
Slide onto a warm plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve immediately with lettuce, herbs, cucumber and dipping sauce. Diners tear off pieces of crepe, wrap in lettuce with herbs, dip and eat.
Tips
- Very hot pan. The sizzle is essential. A cool pan gives you soggy crepes.
- Thin batter, swirled fast. Aim for paper-thin. Thick batter gives you a soft pancake.
- Coconut milk in the batter. Southern Vietnamese style. Not optional.
- Rest the batter. Thirty minutes lets the rice flour fully hydrate and gives a crispier finished crepe.
- Serve immediately. Bánh xèo does not hold; the crepe softens within 5 minutes.
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