Airy, light and crispy crepes with a hint of coconut and turmeric are so delicious along with pork, shrimp and Vietnamese herbs.
Bánh Xèo is a Vietnamese crepe made with rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric. When the batter touches the surface of the hot cast iron pan, it sizzles and bubbles immediately. Hence, the name "Bánh Xèo" which literally translate to "sizzling cake". Traditionally filled with pork belly, shrimp and bean sprouts and served along side with fresh herbs and mix springs. A drizzle of the sweet and tangy fish dipping sauce compliments the mix between crispy crunchy crepes and herbs!
I remember eating bánh xèo when I was in grade school and having to wait quite a while for seconds. There were many of us and you can only cook one crepe per pan at a time! My mom always had three pans going in order to feed us all! And the wait for these to crisp up took patience! But so worth the effort and wait. I hope you create great memories with these crepes as I have with my own children while reminiscing!
Each bite is has a balance of flavors that tantalizes one's tastebuds. Sweetness from the coconut milk and soda, tanginess from the fish sauce and savoriness from the meat and shrimp!
Batter Ingredients
2 cups rice flour
1/2 tapioca starch (corn or potato okay)
3 cups water
1/2 cup coconut milk/Cream (can replace with water)
1 can Coco Rico soda (can substitute with spirte/7up)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp cooking oil
Stuffing/Sauce/Garnish
1 pack Thick Cut Bacon or 2 lbs poached pork belly sliced
1 lb Shrimp Deveined (Chopped or Slice in Halves)
Veggie Oil (Or any that has a high heat tolerance)
1-2 romaine Lettuce or box of mix springs
1 bundle Mint
1 bundle Basil
1 bundle Cilantro
2 Cucumbers
1 bag Bean Sprouts
Preparing The Batter
Mix dry ingredients (flour, salt turmeric).
Add liquids (water, coconut milk, coconut soda) and mix well.
Add chopped green onions and let batter rest for 1 hour.
Stir before cooking. Rice flour separates from water content.
Prepare Stuffing & Garnish
Chop up bacon and shrimp into smaller pieces so that they cook faster.
Soak all fresh ingredients in salt water and rinse in cool water. Arrange on platter for later use.
Make your dipping sauce. Recipe here https://www.deanathai.com/post/nước-chấm-vietnamese-dipping-sauce
Cooking The Bánh Xèo - My Method
Add one teaspoon of oil to the pans. (I generally have 3 pans going at the same time.)
Cook bacon pieces till one side starts to brown on medium heat. Flip them over.
Add shrimp pieces at this time.
Increase heat to medium high and add another teaspoon of oil.
Stir batter to re-incorporate rice flour and water content. Ladle batter into pans. To cover the bottom. (Your batter should sizzle as it touches the pans. That means the heat is hot enough.) Swirls pans so the extra batter coats the outer edge of the pan to create a think flaky edge.
Cover with lids and lower heat to medium. Cook for 2-minutes. (This will allow steam to cook the batter thoroughly and on medium heat; your batter won’t burn.)
It’s time to crunch up the batter. (This is a patience game!) Remove lids and increase heat to medium or medium high. Add bean sprouts. (What you’re doing here is letting the excess liquid evaporate. Once the water from the batter evaporates, you’ll be left with a crunchy crust!)
At this point check you’ll need to watch the bánh xèo and remove them when they have reached your desired crunch or browning. It can be anywhere from 3-4 additional minutes.
Enjoy with the fresh lettuce, herbs and dipping sauce.
I like to wrap my bánh xèo with fresh ingredients in rice paper and dip in fish sauce! It gives me the perfect bite every time! Crunchiness, flavors of fresh mint, basil, cilantro and dipping sauce!
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