What is Banh Xeo?
Banh xeo literally means “sizzling cake” in Vietnamese. “Banh” means cake and “xeo” is an onomatopoeic word alluding to the sizzling sound the batter makes when it hits a hot frying pan. You pronounce it like “bank sale”. Banh xeo is a crispy crepe stuffed with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts, and ultimately, garnished fresh herbs.
The key to banh xeo’s sizzle-magic lies in the batter where the identity and ratios of grain powders are kept as family and vendor secrets. Depending on the desired consistency, flavour, crispiness, sponginess and texture upon cooling, banh xeo batter may be made purely from rice flour or even complicated concoctions of rice powder, wheat flour, corn starch and perhaps even tapioca powder.
History
Due to the geographical differences in cooking styles and spices in Vietnam, banh xeo can have many different regional interpretations. Banh xeo is eaten all over Vietnam, but it is believed to have been a creation of the Central Vietnamese during the Tay Son era. It is said that the locals had grown so fond of crêpes that they would opt for banh xeo twice a month in lieu of their usual diet of rice. The inspiration for the recipe is largely attributed to the French, but some speculate that the recipe is a direct descendant of a crispy pancake in Hue called banh khoai, or that the dish evolved from the South Indian dish known as masala dosa, introduced by the Cham culture centuries ago.
Whatever the backstory behind these rice pancakes are, one thing is for sure: the recipe has countlessly been reinterpreted all across Vietnam to cater to the palates of each region.
How to Eat Banh Xeo
While waiting for your banh xeo, squeeze some lime into the nuoc cham fish sauce. This will be your dipping sauce. After the banh xeo arrives on your table, take your chopsticks and quarter off sections of the banh xeo. It’s very soft so it should rip apart easily but the most efficient way to cut it is when one person holds the banh xeo down with a chopstick while the other scissors it with his or her set of chopsticks.
The most notable part of the meal is the basket of herbs. The herbs will be the wrapper of your banh xeo. Using the lettuce leaf as base, add the mustard leaf next, then layer in on all the remaining herbs like Thai basil, mint. There’s also fish mint in the batch, an herb that has a wonderously bizzare fishy taste. Particularly, the pancake made from the mountain in An Giang use the best mountain vegetables. After you have your make shift veggie vessel, plop a piece of the banh xeo on top and roll it up like a mini spring roll. Dip the roll into the fish sauce and enjoy.
Banh Xeo in Saigon, Mekong Delta – The Biggest Version
Some wonder about the difference between the pancakes in the central Vietnam and in the Mekong Delta. The distinction is the size: the cake of the Mekong Delta is much larger than that in the central region. In addition, the pancake in the central region is set in a mold, while the pancake in the Mekong Delta is set in a large pan. The batter gets evenly spread across a large piping hot wok with a generous amount of oil, creating a crispy exterior that is folded in half when fully cooked. The result is a thin and savory pancake.
The attractiveness of the Mekong Delta pancake is the thin crispy. When enjoying this dish, you will feel pieces of banh xeo melt right in your mouth. Fillings are varied depending on each region but in Mekong Delta, it includes bean sprouts, mushrooms, shrimp, pork, chicken meat, chopped duck meat… Because of the biggest size of this version, you should share your meal with your friends. Do not try to tackle this beast all by yourself because everything from slicing to the wrapping is best experienced when done in a group. This is the time for everyone to gather together.
Banh Xeo Phan Rang
Banh xeo in Phan Rang is absolutely different from the one in Southern part. The cake is in small shape and thin ground rice. Banh xeo Phan Rang sticks to the traditional banh xeo ingredients like pork, prawns, and bean sprouts – but goes one step further than its other Phan Rang contemporaries in the sauce department. Specifically, the accompanying condiment combines the salty goodness of fish sauce, chili for spice and a bit of tomato to give the whole thing a bit of acidity. What is more, banh xeo Phan Rang’s difference from others is peanut sauce – in this case, a light, subtly sweet and slightly watery concoction.
Banh Xeo Hoi An
In addition to the well-known title of “ancient town”, Hoi An is also known as “the heaven of Vietnamese cakes”. There are many different types of cakes you can try here. One of the specialties is Hoi An’s version of Vietnam’s most famous pancakes – banh xeo. Like eating banh xeo in Saigon, banh xeo Hoi An is best eaten when it is hot and fresh out of the pan. If banh xeo Saigon is loved because of the spicy fish sauce and the lettuce leaf rolling paper, then Hoi An’s version is proud of its peanut sauce and the fresh herbs from Tra Que, the vegetable village in the area. The chewiness of moist rice paper and crunchy banh xeo blended together, combined with the greens and the creamy, nutty sauce will create a taste explosion in your mouth.
Banh Xeo in the North
In the Southern region, the banh xeo is the size of a large dish and yellow in color due to the employment of turmeric powder. The Southern people always add coconut milk, mushrooms or even lotus into the pancakes to make the crepe extra delicious. In some regions, banh xeo is prepared thick, but Southern crepes are characteristically thin, crispy and served fresh out of the frying pan. The secret to extra-thin crepes is a deep frying pan and a quick wrist to coat the frying pan with the batter before it start to set.
As more central Vietnamese arrived in Saigon, food carts popped up on street corners serving the savory pancakes, which were a decidedly cheap meal, reserved solely for working class. As more affluent Saigonese and Hanoians found out about the dish, however, banh xeo eventually worked its way onto restaurant menus. Banh xeo is positively unlike any other pancake you have tried before. When enjoying in Vietnam, perhaps you cannot ignore the opportunity to try banh xeo, and then it will bring you unforgettable and interesting experience.