If you haven’t tried Banh Xeo before, this is your sign to do so. Light, fresh, sweet and savoury. It was one of the first dishes I asked mum to teach me. So easy and yummy.
If you’re a visual learner, watch me make it here.
Banh Xeo (Vietnamese sizzling pancake)
Ingredients
Batter
- 140 g Rice flour
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- A pinch Salt
- ½ cup Coconut milk
- ½ a cup of Beer or water (gluten free option)
- 2 Spring onions
- Vegetable oil (substitute: any neutral oil e.g. canola, sunflower)
Fillings
- 1 cup Ground chicken
- ½ cup Prawns
- Bean sprouts
- Mint to serve
- Lettuce to serve
- Coriander to serve
Nuoc Cham
- 3 tablespoons Fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons White vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
- 1 Red chilli, chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves, chopped
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk all batter ingredients together. Ensure the consistency is thin (see my video). Set aside for 10 minutes to let the flour bloom.
- For the nuoc cham sauce, whisk together the ingredients and set aside to serve at the end.
- Now cook your chicken + prawns. Lightly season with salt in the pan. Set aside.
- Now for your Banh Xeo. Grab a pan and turn the stove to the highest heat. Leave it until it's scorching hot, then add oil (this will ensure it doesn't stick to the pan and ends up crispy).
- Now add the batter to the pan & quickly swirl it around to make a thin pancake layer (the thinner the better). Let it crisp up for a few minutes and turn it down to medium-high.
- When you see the edges of the pancake start to brown, sprinkle on meat, bean sprouts and mint to one half of the pancake. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the pancake is crispy and golden on the bottom side.
- Now fold the pancake over to cover the filling and slide onto a serving plate. Serve with fresh veges (i.e. lettuce, more mint etc) and nuoc cham dressing.
To serve, plate your Banh Xeo with fresh vegetables (lettuce, mint, cucumbers, pickled carrots) and a delicious Nuoc Jam dipping sauce. You can’t skip the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce! It is a crucial part of the dish. Some people like to drizzle it onto the crepe, others like to dip it in. Personally, I like to wrap my crepe in lettuce, dip it into the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce and take a bite old bite!
Like my homemade chilli oil and pickled carrots, Nuoc Chamis always readily available in our fridge. It’s present in so many Vietnamese dishes and super easy to make. Just add fish sauce, sugar, water, lime juice, garlic, chilli. I’ve included the porportions below!
If you haven’t tried this before, get ready to be blown away by such an easy, healthy dish.
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