Bánh Xèo
Vietnamese bánh xèo including thai basil, mint leaves, lettuce, and dipping sauce.
TypePancake, Crepe
CourseMain Course
Place of originVietnam
Associated cuisineCambodian, Thai, Vietnamese
Serving temperatureUsually serve hot
Main ingredientsRice flour, water, turmeric powder

Bánh xèo (Vietnamese: [ɓǎjŋ̟ sɛ̂w], lit. 'sizzling pancake') is a crispy, stuffed rice pancake popular in Vietnam.[1] The name refers to the sound (from xèo – 'sizzling') a thin layer of rice batter makes when it is poured into the hot skillet.[2][3] It is a savoury fried pancake made of rice flour, water, and turmeric powder. It can also be called a Vietnamese crêpe.[4][5] Some common stuffings include pork, prawns, diced green onion, mung bean, and bean sprouts. Bánh xèo is often served with sides. Usually, some commonly added ingredients include leafy greens like lettuces or perilla leaves, other herbs as flavor enhancers like mint leaves and Thai basil,[6][7] cucumbers, and pickled vegetables, usually carrots and radishes. Lastly, its dipping sauce is Nước chấm (sweet and sour garlic fish sauce). Elements of each side and sauce add to the fresh-tasting fried Bánh Xèo.[8]

History

Bánh Xèo is a traditional street food in Vietnam. The working class mainly ate it because it was cheap and easy.[9] Its origins are unknown. However, Vietnamese people agreed that the creation of this dish could be somewhere in Central Vietnam through the fusion of French culture from the French colonial times or South Vietnam by migrating immigrants moving into Vietnam and mixing with the surrounding culture.[10] [11] Others believe Bánh Xèo came from mixing Cham culture and Vietnamese cuisine.[12]

Through the years, Bánh Xèo has expanded to other nearby Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia and Thailand. Bánh Xèo is not a dish that’s fading into existence. Instead, it has become more popular as more affluent people started to realize its savory taste and new restaurants opening up like “Banh Xeo Muoi Xiem and An La Ghien,” stated Saigoneers in 2016.[13]

On the 2nd and 16th of each lunar month, some Vietnamese people would substitute rice for Bánh Xèo.[14]

Variations

Regional variations include:

Bánh Xèo: Miền Trung
  • Miền Trung (Central Vietnam) style Bánh Xèo tends to be smaller, about the size of a hand. Compared to the Miền Tây, the Miền Trung version has few fillings. Fillings include prawns, thin slices of pork, and bean sprouts.[15] As well as being darker or not as yellow as other variations because of the addition of fermented shrimp paste, adding a distinct taste and color to the dish.
Photo includes tomatoes, carrots and radishs, cucumber, herbs and lettuce, as well as dipping sauce.
Bánh Xèo: Miền Tây Image includes tomatoes, carrots and radishs, cucumber, herbs and lettuce, as well as dipping sauce.
  • Miền Tây (Mekong Delta) style Bánh Xèo tends to be larger than the Miền Trung version, usually about the size of a small to medium size pizza, about 12-inch diameter. However, they are generally thinner. Miền Tây offers a more diverse range of ingredients and fillings. Because of this, the color of the Bánh Xèo is usually brighter as the batter with turmeric and coconut milk creates a colorful yellow dish. Fillings include prawns, pork belly, green onions, fried onions, and bean sprouts.[16] There tends to be more filling in the Miền Tây version as there is more growth in the south than north of Vietnam.

Popularity

The dish is also popular in Cambodia,[17] where the dish is called banh chao (Khmer: បាញ់ឆែវ).[18]

There is also a Thai version of bánh xèo called Khanom bueang Yuan (Thai: ขนมเบื้องญวน). It is offered by some street vendors and is available at many Bangkok restaurants serving Thai or royal cuisine. The most common filling in Thailand is a minced mixture of shredded coconut, roasted peanuts, shrimp, salted radish and fried tofu and served with bean sprouts and sweet cucumber relish.

Similar Dishes

Look up bánh xèo in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ↑ Quynh Chau Pham, Vietnamese: Vietnamese-English, English-Vietnamese, Insight pocket travel dictionary. "Bánh xèo rice pankakes."
  2. ↑ Ottolenghi, Yotam - Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi 2011 "Bánh xèo - In 2007 I visited Hanoi with my friend, Alex Meitlis, and found myself squatting in the dingiest of family-run street kitchens, experiencing the best food I've ever tasted."
  3. ↑ Lucy Nguyen-Hong-Nhiem - A Dragon Child: Reflections Of A Daughter Of Annam In America Page 13 2004 "She loved to cook our favorite dishes, bánh xèo and bánh khoái. This is a dish that Vietnamese in the US call "happy pancakes". They are called bánh xèo: bánh is cake; xèo is the sizzling noise of the batter when it is poured into a hot ..."
  4. ↑ "Bánh Xèo Recipe (Crispy Vietnamese Crêpes / Pancakes)". Hungry Huy. 2015-02-23. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  5. ↑ "Vietnamese crepes with pork and shrimp recipe - banh xeo". SCMP Cooking | South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  6. ↑ Giac Mo Viet: Bánh xèo đặc sản Cần Thơ Archived 2018-10-11 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed October 10, 2018
  7. ↑ NPR Inc.:Banh Xeo (Sizzling Crepes), Accessed October 10, 2018.
  8. ↑ VIETNAM.COM. "Banh Xeo: Through the Years". VIETNAM.COM. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  9. ↑ VIETNAM.COM. "Banh Xeo: Through the Years". VIETNAM.COM. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  10. ↑ "Banh Xeo: A Guide to the Vietnamese Pancakes | Vietnamnomad". 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  11. ↑ "The Evolution of Bánh Xèo: A Street Food History | Saigoneer". saigoneer.com. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  12. ↑ "Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Crepe)". Shef Cuisines 101. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  13. ↑ "The Evolution of Bánh Xèo: A Street Food History | Saigoneer". saigoneer.com. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  14. ↑ "The Evolution of Bánh Xèo: A Street Food History | Saigoneer". saigoneer.com. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  15. ↑ "Vietnamese Foods: Banh Xeo in Ho Chi Minh City". i Tour Vietnam. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  16. ↑ "Banh Xeo: A Guide to the Vietnamese Pancakes | Vietnamnomad". 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  17. ↑ Brouwer, Andy (2010). To Cambodia with Love: A Travel Guide for the Connoisseur. Phnom Penh: ThingsAsian Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-1934159088. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  18. ↑ Murray, Bennett. "Rasmey's restaurant makes a mean banh chao". Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
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