Crispy Vietnamese Crepe Recipe (Bánh Xèo)

5 from 5 votes

Crispy Vietnamese Crepe Recipe (Bánh Xèo)

I learnt this Crispy Vietnamese Crepe Recipe(bánh xèo), a popular and delicious Vietnamese street food, from a Vietnamese refugee in London. These fresh and zingy sizzling pancakes are not difficult to make, but do require knowing a few tricks to get crispy, which I'll share in the post below!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Servings: pancakes

Calories: 289kcal

Author: Zen

Equipment

Large bowl
7-8 inches Nonstick pan with lid
Heatproof spatula

Ingredients

For the crepe batter

7 oz rice flour
14 oz coconut milk Substitute: 4.5 oz coconut cream mixed well with 9.5 oz water.
2-3 teaspoons ground turmeric powder The more turmeric you use, the more golden the pancakes will be.
pinch salt
pinch white sugar

For the crepe filling

7-14 neutral vegetable oil substitute: pork lard. You will need 1-2 Tablespoons per pancake.
½ onion sliced thinly
8.8 oz ground pork pork belly is traditional but I use ground pork to be healthier. Use ground pork with more fat in it if possible (minimim 20% fat)
36 shrimp About 15-17 oz. I use 3 shrimps per pancake. Peel and devein.
7 oz mung beans Pluck off the stringy tail if you have time
fresh herbs such as coriander, Thai basil, mint, red chilies

For the dipping sauce

5 cloves garlic Or to taste. Peeled and minced.
5 Tablespoons fish sauce
2 Red Bird's Eye Chilies Or to taste. Use large chilies and remove the seeds if you can't take spice as bird's eye chilies are spicy. Mince or slice. Do not touch your eyes after handling chilies.
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice Substitute: white rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2½ Tablespoons White Sugar

Instructions

Prepare the batter

In a mixing bowl, whisk together rice flour, turmeric powder, and salt.
Gradually add coconut milk and water while whisking to create a smooth batter.
Add the spring onions and mix again. Let the rice batter rest for at least 30 minutes.
Note: if you want to make the batter beforehand, only add the spring onions right before you want to cook.

Cook

Using medium-high heat, heat up ½ tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan till shimmering but not smoking, then sauté the sliced onions until translucent and fragrant.
Add the ground pork and stir-fry until it's no longer white and opaque. Push it to the side of the pan.
Add the prawns and cook until they turn opaque. (This will be quite quick.) Mix up the pork and the prawns in the pan.
Note: if you can't push the pork and shrimp around the pan smoothly, add more oil.
Once the protein is cooked, lower the heat to medium and add at least half- 1 tablespoon of oil and pour a quarter cup of the crepe batter into the hot skillet, swirling it to cover the base thinly. (You may need more or less batter depending on the size of your pan.)
Add a handful of beansprouts and sliced chilies, if desired. Cover and allow the steam to cook the mung beansprouts for 2-3 minutes.
Uncover, lower the heat and continue to cook for a few more minutes till the edges turn crispy and start curling away from the pan. Carefully fold half the crepe over the filling to create a half-moon shape. Cook for an additional minute till crisp.
Carefully slide the crepe onto a plate. Serve the Banh Xeo crepes with fresh herbs, lettuce leaves and Nuoc Cham dipping sauce on the side
Repeat till you've used up all the ingredients.

Notes

Once familiar with the recipe, to expedite the cooking, you can cook 2 pancakes side by side, in different pans.

For Crispy Crepes

Tip #1: Use a thick non-stick skillet that will transmit heat evenly. If not, you'll find your crepes sticking to the pan and tearing when you try to fold them.

Tip #2: Make sure the pan is well-heated before pouring the batter.

Tip #3: Add a lot of oil before pouring in the batter!

Tip #4: The batter consistency is important. I'm all for kitchen experiments, but if you make the batter too thin or too thick, it'll make it more difficult to get your crepes to fold correctly. As such, do not use Cups to measure the ingredients for the batter- weigh out the ingredients!

Tip #5: Don't overload the crepe with ingredients. Less is more when first making this recipe.

Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.

Nutrition