Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes) with Tomato

About This Recipe

Banh xeo, meaning 'sizzling cake' for the sound the batter makes hitting a hot pan, is a beloved Southern Vietnamese street food — a thin, crisp crepe made from rice flour and turmeric, filled with pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts, then folded in half like an omelet. The turmeric gives the batter its signature golden color and a subtle earthy flavor rather than heavy spice. The batter must rest so the rice flour hydrates properly, and the pan needs to be very hot with a thin layer of oil so the crepe fries rather than steams, developing the crisp, almost lacy edges that define a good banh xeo. A touch of coconut milk in the batter, common in Southern Vietnamese versions, adds richness and helps the crepe crisp further. It's always eaten by hand: torn into pieces, wrapped in lettuce and fresh herbs like mint and perilla, then dipped in nuoc cham, the ubiquitous Vietnamese dipping sauce of fish sauce, lime, sugar, and chile.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 cuprice flour
• 0.25 cupcornstarch
• 1 tspturmeric powder
• 1 cupcoconut milk
• 0.75 cupwater
• 2scallions(sliced, plus more for batter)
• 200 gpork belly(thinly sliced)
• 200 gshrimp(peeled and deveined)
• 2 cupsbean sprouts
• 0.25 tspfine sea salt
• 4 tbspvegetable oil(for cooking)
• 1head lettuce(leaves separated)
• 1 cupmixed fresh herbs(mint, perilla, cilantro)
• 0.5 cupnuoc cham dipping sauce(for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the batter

   Whisk rice flour, cornstarch, turmeric, coconut milk, water, sliced scallions, and salt until smooth. Rest at room temperature 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Cook the pork and shrimp

   Heat 1 tbsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork belly 3-4 minutes until starting to crisp, then add shrimp and cook 2 minutes until pink. Remove and set aside.

3. 3

   Heat the pan hot

   Wipe the pan and add 1-2 tbsp oil, heating until shimmering hot over medium-high heat.

4. 4

   Pour and swirl the crepe

   Ladle about 1/2 cup batter into the pan, swirling immediately to spread it thin across the surface.

5. 5

   Add fillings

   Scatter a portion of the cooked pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts over half the crepe. Cover and cook 2-3 minutes until the edges crisp and turn golden.

6. 6

   Fold and crisp

   Uncover, fold the crepe in half over the filling, and press gently. Cook 1-2 minutes more, uncovered, until the bottom is deeply crisp.

7. 7

   Serve

   Slide onto a plate and repeat with remaining batter and fillings. Serve with lettuce leaves, fresh herbs, and nuoc cham for wrapping and dipping.

Variations

• •

  Add sliced mushrooms or mung bean paste for a vegetarian version, using coconut milk in place of the meat entirely.

• •

  Make mini versions in a smaller pan for easier flipping and folding.

• •

  Serve with pickled daikon and carrot alongside the fresh herbs for extra crunch and acidity.

Storage

Best eaten fresh and hot, as the crepe loses its crispness quickly. Leftover batter keeps refrigerated up to 2 days, whisked well before using.

Frequently Asked Questions