Bánh Xèo

Name: Bánh Xèo
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 300g Rice Flour; 40g Cornstarch; 1 tsp Ground Turmeric; 1 tsp Salt, fine; 400ml Coconut Milk, unsweetened; 350ml Water, cold; 3 Scallions, thinly sliced; 250g Pork Belly, thinly sliced; 250g Medium Shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1 Yellow Onion, small, thinly sliced; 300g Bean Sprouts; 1/2 tsp Pepper (Black), freshly ground; 7 tbsp Neutral Oil, for frying; 1 head of Butter Lettuce, leaves separated; 1 cup Mint, fresh; 1 cup Cilantro; 1 cup Thai Basil; 120ml Water, warm; 4 tbsp Granulated Sugar; 4 tbsp Fish Sauce; 4 tbsp Lime Juice, fresh; 2 cloves of Garlic, cloves, minced; 1 1/2 Bird's Eye Chilies, thinly sliced

Bánh Xèo is a golden, crispy Vietnamese savory crepe made from a coconut-tinged rice batter and spiked with turmeric for a beautiful color and subtle earthiness. Each pancake is filled with caramelized pork, plump shrimp and crunchy bean sprouts, then wrapped in cool lettuce and fragrant herbs for a perfect contrast of textures and flavors. Serve with a bright, garlicky fish-sauce dipping sauce for an addictive, hands-on meal.

Bánh Xèo is a golden, crispy Vietnamese savory crepe made from a coconut-tinged rice batter and spiked with turmeric for a beautif... Show more

Traditional Vietnamese Recipe

Health Grade

C+ · Balanced

Rating

4.4

Time

1 hr20 min

Price

4,45 €

Calories

860 kcal

low sugar

kid friendly

comfort food

potluck

Method

Wash the greens

Separate the butter lettuce leaves, then rinse them, along with the mint, cilantro, and Thai basil, under cold water. Rinse the bean sprouts too, then drain and pat everything dry so the wraps stay crisp.

Slice the fillings

Thinly slice the yellow onion and scallions. Peel and devein the shrimp if needed, then pat the shrimp and the pork belly dry and cut the pork into thin slices if it isn't already. Mince the garlic and thinly slice the bird's eye chilies for the dipping sauce, then toss the pork and shrimp with the black pepper.

Whisk the batter

In a large bowl, whisk the rice flour, cornstarch, ground turmeric, and fine salt together. Pour in the coconut milk and cold water, whisking until the batter is smooth and very thin, then stir in the sliced scallions.

Rest the batter

Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 20 minutes so the flour hydrates. While it sits, stir the warm water with the granulated sugar until dissolved, then add the fish sauce, lime juice, and the garlic and chilies you prepped.

Heat the pan

Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a generous film of the neutral oil, swirling it around the bottom. Let the pan get properly hot before the first pancake goes in.

Cook the pancakes

Cook the bánh xèo one at a time: pour about one-quarter of the batter into the hot pan and immediately swirl it into a thin round. Quickly arrange some of the pork, shrimp, and onion over one half, scatter on a handful of bean sprouts, and press everything lightly into the batter, then cover and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover and cook for 2 minutes more until the shrimp are pink, the pork is cooked through, and the bottom is deep golden and crisp; give it 1 minute more uncovered if you want extra crunch. Fold the pancake in half, slide it onto a plate, and repeat with the remaining batter, adding a little more oil between pancakes if the pan looks dry.

Assemble and serve

Set out the butter lettuce, mint, cilantro, and Thai basil with the dipping sauce. Tear off a piece of pancake, wrap it in lettuce with a few herbs, and dip it in the sauce while the edges are still crackly.