I have a vague memory that I’ve eaten an excellent bánh xèo somewhere, and I’ve always wanted to savour it again. Sadly, it’s not frequently seen in Vietnamese restaurants in the UK.
Is it difficult to make? To a restaurant, I guess not; at home, several components make this Vietnamese crêpe (or pancake) less friendly. Let me explain what I mean.
4 Components in Bánh Xèo
There are 4 main components in bánh xèo:
- Batter – the most difficult part, which takes trial and error to make it right. The ratio of rice flour, wheat flour, and liquid; the content of coconut milk; and how much oil to use – all alter the result of a crêpe.
- Fillings – versatile and easy to manage, especially if authenticity is not what concerns you. Pork, prawns, and bean sprouts are used traditionally. But most of the vegetables would be welcomed. Just pay attention to the cooking orders.
- Dipping Sauce – aka nước chấm. Mix everything and there you go! But remember to macerate the garlic in acid in advance to tune down its pungency.
- Lettuce and Herbs – this is to serve with bánh xèo. I think these are pretty important, as the lettuce offers freshness and crunchiness, and the herbs brighten up the dish.
It seems a lot is happening (indeed!), but once you get the batter correctly, the rest shouldn’t be an obstacle.
Short Cut to Batter
Can we use store-bought to tackle the trickiest batter? There are a few options on the market, such as Vinh Thuan and Mikko, with rather different ingredients. In Vinh Thuan, there is only wheat flour, rice flour, and turmeric, whilst there’s a lot going on in the other, including E621 and synthetic coconut flavour.
I like to avoid any E-number and artificial flavour, making the first choice look approachable. However, why not blend it yourself if rice flour is easy to fetch and the wheat flour is readily sitting in the food cupboard?
Cooking Notes
- Do not use only rice flour: Rice flour lacks gluten, so the crêpe does not bind well. It may firm up quickly when cooking, but it’s fragile and not cohesive when lifted up. The solution is to combine it with plain wheat flour to enhance binding and crispiness. A little starch will help too.
- Pay attention to coconut milk’s label: Coconut milk’s content varies among brands. I used 51% extract in this recipe and the flavour was subtle. Worth trying coconut cream next time. But after all, coconut milk is not absolutely required.
- Be gentle with seasoning: Bear in mind that the dipping sauce (nước chấm) is on the strong and salty side, so go easy on the seasoning for the rest.
I’ve taken several bánh xèo recipes for reference such as hungryhuy, fullofplants, beyondsweetandsavory, and a video recipe from Munchies.
After trial and error, below is my version of bánh xèo recipe.
Vietnamese Crêpe Bánh Xèo Recipe
Bánh xèo is full of crunch and freshness. It’s perfect to enjoy it with lettuce and then dip it in the inviting dipping sauce, nước chấm — so yummy!
Ingredients
Makes 2 crépes (ø20 cm each)
For the Batter
- 25 g rice flour
- 10 g cake flour
- 5 g potato starch
- 2 pinch salt
- 2 pinch sugar
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 60 g full-fat coconut milk (51% extract)
- 45 g water
- 1 scallion
For the Filling
- 6 – 8 king prawns
- 1 large handful of bean sprouts
- 2 mushrooms
- ½ clove of garlic
For the Dipping Sauce
- ½ tbsp fish sauce
- ½ tbsp sugar
- ½ clove of garlic
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp hot water
- fresh chilli (optional)
To Serve
- 4 – 5 large lettuce
- 1 small handful of coriander leaves
- a few mint leaves
How to Make
- Prepare the batter first: Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour in the coconut milk and water, then mix well. The consistency should be between single cream and heavy cream. Finely chop the scallion and stir into the batter. Set aside.
- Kick start the dipping sauce: Finely chop the garlic and soak into lime juice in a small bowl. The acid will tune down the garlic’s heat.
- Cook the fillings: Chop the garlic and heat it in a pan (which is used for cooking the batter too). Once fragrant, add in the prawns, mushroom, and beans sprouts (or your chosen ones), stir fry until cooked. Set aside on a plate.
- Make the crêpe: Wipe clean the pan and heat 2 tsp of oil over medium heat. Use a kitchen towel or pastry brush to spread evenly the oil. Pour in just enough batter to coat the pan. When it looks half cooked, place half of the fillings on one side and fold the crêpe. Repeat to make one more crêpe.
- Finish the sauce: Mix the remaining ingredients of the sauce and have a taste. Adjust if necessary.
- Enjoy: Get the lettuce ready and chop up the herbs. Use the lettuce to wrap part of the crêpe and dip in the sauce.
