Bánh Xèo: Recipe of Ingredients and How to Cook

Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Pancake) has become a famous dish of Vietnamese cuisine. In particular, pancakes combining typical ingredients of Southern folk cuisine are very popular with Southern People. Instead of going to a restaurant, you can also go into the kitchen by yourself with the following way of making delicious, crispy pancakes.

Banh Xeo Recipe

Because when pouring the dough into the hot pan, the sound of “xèo… xèo” is heard, so this dish is named Banh Xeo. Just like the generous and comfortable personality of Southern People, Southern Pancakes are always very big. The crust is thinly coated, crispy, has a beautiful golden color of turmeric starch, the inside is fragrant and soft, combining the ingredients of pork, green beans, shrimp and cassava ... mixed with the greasy taste of water. coconut milk, creating an extremely attractive dish.

Southern Pancakes are enjoyed with a cup of sweet and sour chili garlic fish sauce, mildly spicy and a variety of vegetables such as collard greens, lettuce, perilla, mango buds, cashew leaves, cauliflower leaves... Grab a piece of banh xeo. Hot, spicy, sweet and sour fish sauce, all blended, crispy and melt in the mouth, creating a delicious taste that is hard to forget.

Bánh Xèo

You will find some types of Banh Xeo when traveling to Mekong Delta, Hanoi (North Vietnam) or Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An in Central Vietnam. But Banh Xeo flour is the same with rice flour, the only difference is that the Central people keep the white flour, mix a little seasoning, and the Southern pancakes often give turmeric powder to create a light yellow color for the cake, add salt and green onions, cut into pieces (Ex: Bánh Khoái in Hue).

In the Central region, Banh Xeo is small in size, made in a cast iron pan, people often pour a lot of oil, then pour in flour, but in the South, they only put a little oil, use a large pan, wait until it is hot, then add the flour. , rotate the pan so that the cake is evenly spread and round. Therefore, the crust in the Central region is usually thicker, softer, not as thin and crispy as the South.

Bánh Xèo Vietnamese

The filling part shows the true characteristics of local cuisine. Southern pancakes have a variety of meats such as pork, duck, shrimp, shrimp... The meat is minced and fried with spices first. Drop the dough into a pan coated with hot oil, the chef adds meat, shrimps, vegetables such as bean sprouts, crazy cotton, Thien li... fried until the filling is cooked, the crust is golden crispy, then double and put out on a plate.

1. Recipe of Ingredients and How to Make Vietnamese Banh Xeo:

- Ingredients of Bánh Xèo:

200g pancake flour
50ml coconut milk
300g black tiger shrimp
300g pork belly
300g straw mushrooms
2 onions
1 carrot
1 white radish
Lettuce, collard greens, herbs, bean sprouts, green onions
Seasoning: seasoning, monosodium glutamate, salt, fish sauce, turmeric, vinegar

- Process the Ingredients:

Buy fresh bacon, the meat is light in color, not sticky to the touch and has good elasticity. Bacon only bought, washed, cut into thin pieces.
When buying shrimp, you should only choose those that are alive, have a smooth shell, live between fresh and clear bodies, which are fresh, firm shrimp. Black tiger shrimp peel off the shell, cut off the hard antennae, remove the black thread on the back and wash.
Put shrimp, bacon in a clean bowl, marinate with ½ teaspoon seasoning, 1 teaspoon pepper, mix well to infuse spices and marinate for about 15 minutes.
Peel the onion, wash it, and slice it thinly.
Pick the root of the spring onion, wash it, and cut it into small pieces.
Carrots, white radish peeled, washed, grated.
Wash herbs, bean sprouts, soak in dilute salt water for about 15-20 minutes, then take them out to dry.

- Mix the Flour to Make Pancakes:

Dissolve the coconut milk with 400ml of water, then add the pancake flour, add 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder, a little seasoning, salt, sprinkle with scallions and stir until the powder is smooth and no longer lumpy. Let the dough rest for about 20-30 minutes for the dough to fully rise.
Because packaged banh xeo is usually pre-seasoned, you don't need to add too much seasoning. Pay attention not to mix the dough too thick, it will make the crust thick and difficult to cook. You can add 1 cup of beer to the flour mixture to make the crust more crispy when fried. This is a way to make crispy pancakes that many people summarize and apply.

- Stir-fry meats of Pancakes:

Put the oil pan on the stove, when the oil is hot, add the meat and sauté it over low heat. When the meat is cooked, take it out, continue to add the shrimp, stir-fry for about 5 minutes until the shrimp is fragrant.

- How to pour delicious pancakes:

Put 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a non-stick pan, wait for the oil to boil. Pour in a patch of batter, tilting the pan to coat evenly. Add shrimp, meat, onion and some bean sprouts, cover for about 30 seconds until the dough is cooked. Fry the cake until golden crispy, fold the cake in half and fry the rest until crispy on both sides. Repeat until you run out of dough.
If you can't eat the raw bean sprouts, put the bean sprouts on the island with oil or cook until cooked. You can use lard to fry pancakes, the cake will be more crispy and more fragrant. Pay attention when making pancakes, don't let the heat be too high, the crust will be easily scorched, the meat will be tough and not delicious.

How to make dipping sauce:

Banh xeo dipping sauce is mixed according to the following ratio: you dissolve 3 tablespoons of sugar with ½ cup of fish sauce, ½ cup of warm water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Add minced garlic and chili to taste.

Making Sour Salad:

Put the shredded white radish and carrot in a bowl, marinate with 2 tablespoons of sugar, 5 tablespoons of vinegar, 200ml of filtered water, mix well and leave for about 10 minutes to soften the radish and carrot.

Present and Enjoy:

Pick up the cake on a plate, present the pancakes with salad, green vegetables, herbs, sour food, dip it with sweet and sour fish sauce and enjoy it while it's still hot.

Best Local Places/Restaurants to Eat “Banh Xeo” in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City:

1. Banh Xeo Quang 7B/99:

Address: 1C/100 Alley 100 Nguyen Tri Phuong, Ward 14, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
Hours: 7:30AM – Closes 9:00PM
Phone: 0393 228 848

2. Banh Xeo Thien Phuoc:

Address: 15 Thien Phuoc Street, Ward 9, District 11, Ho Chi Minh City
Hours: 10:00AM – Closes 9:00PM

3. Quan Banh Xeo Ngon:

Address: 33/43/10 Dat Thanh Street, Ward 6, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City
Hours: 9:00AM – Closes 5:00PM

4. Hoang Tam Restaurant:

Address: 22/1 Nguyen Canh Chan Street, Cau Kho Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Hours: 10:00AM – Closes 10:00PM (Open 24 hours at every Saturday)
Phone: 028 6670 2121

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