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What’s sunshine yellow, satisfyingly crispy and chef Luke Nguyen’s Vietnamese ‘dinner party favourite’?
Banh xeo, Vietnamese for “sizzling cake” – a name derived from the sound these party starters make when cooked on a hot pan.
Tania Ho of Sydney-based Vietnamese restaurant grew up eating banh xeo. She calls them “big crispy tacos, filled with various fillings and served with lettuce cups, pickles, herbs and traditional Vietnamese fish dipping sauce on the side ().” According to the Vietnamese-Australian restaurateur and chef, banh xeo (pronounced bahn say-oh) have been mainstays in the culinary lexicon of Vietnam since, well, as far back as anyone can remember.
“The origins of the dish in Vietnam are not exactly known,” she tells SBS. “Some believe it may be influenced by French colonisation (, the sandwich made using French baguettes) – perhaps a Vietnamese version of the crepe.”
Get Luke's recipe for this Vietnamese .
Vietnamese baguette with fried fish cakes Source: Alan Benson
date banh xeo’s beginnings all the way back to the first millennia, a remnant of sub-continental culinary influence (and, really, is there a culture that wouldn’t want to create their own version of the dosa?). put it down to the Hue people, who apparently had a bit of penchant for crispy pancakes. Whenever it was that banh xeo first appeared on the scene, they’ve certainly garnered immense sticking power since.
This crepe-like street food made from rice flour, coconut milk, mung beans and turmeric (the spice lending this street snack its trademark vibrant hue) is eaten all over Vietnam, its ingredients changing depending on where it’s being served. Large, medium and small, crispy or soft, and all manner of fillings from meat to vegetables and even seafood – the options for creative interpretations are near endless.
If you’re in South Central provinces like Banh Dinh, Quang Ngai and Quang Nam, the banh xeo are medium-sized, wrapped in rice paper and filled with pork and bean sprouts. Venture further south in Vietnam, and you’ll notice the crepes shrink in size slightly and are filled with seafood instead of meat.
“Each region in Vietnam has their own style of cooking and serving banh xeo,” says Ho. Our style is quite large, based on my mum’s recipe and style of cooking – similar to Southern style Vietnamese banh xeo. Other areas will have different variations of the way it is served, and the receipt itself can also change. People in some regions don’t use turmeric in their recipe; some serve with Mustard greens or rice paper to wrap up the pancake.”
No matter where you are, banh xeo is the kind of snack that’s eaten all day long. “Being a traditional street food dish, it’s something enjoyed not only for its taste but for a social aspect, too. It’s best when shared with friends or family,” says Ho.
But as widespread as they are in Vietnam, in Australia and other countries where touchstone Vietnamese dishes like pho and banh mi reign supreme, diners may have to look a little further down the menu to find banh xeo nestled amongst the other entrees. But that’s changing – a process aided in part by the likes of Banh Xeo Bar and other Vietnamese eateries doing innovative things in the realm of banh xeo. Ho suggests in Bankstown for some banh xeo teeth cutting, or if you can get to the source, in Ho Chi Minh City.
“It’s certainly a dish gaining momentum in Australia,” she explains. “You can find it on a few Vietnamese restaurant menus here. In saying that, many of our customers at Banh Xeo Bar are new to this dish, and are really embracing it. We have had many Vietnamese customers come in and say that this dish is something their mum, grandmother or aunty would cook for them and their family on special occasions.”
At Banh Xeo Bar, you’ll find the crepes made with a traditional batter recipe, but with various creative liberties taken with the fillings. “My restaurant partner, Ben, is British, so he has a love for offal and lesser-used cuts of meat, which we also offer – a surprising number of customers have embraced this, too,” she says. “Our banh xeo is distinct as we offer unusual fillings, like a beef tongue with lemongrass and chilli, honeycomb tripe and pig cheek, alongside traditional flavours such as Australian king prawn and pork shoulder or lemongrass chicken.”
If you’re planning on making banh xeo at home, the secret, according to Ho, is all in the batter. “Just like a pho is all about the broth, what determines a good banh xeo is the texture and flavour of the pancake batter,” she says. “We ground our own rice here at the restaurant which really gives us the ideal crepe. A lot of time an effort has gone into perfecting the recipe.”
Check out today, and be sure to let things get a little messy – eat with your hands!
Banh xeo Source: Luke Nguyens' Food Trail
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