Bánh Xèo – Sizzling Cake or Crepe
A favorite dish my mom made when we all wanted something pan fried. Bánh Xèo literally translates to Sizzing Cake because of the sound it makes in the pan when fried. They’re always crispy on the outside and warm on the inside.
To achieve the crispiness is not easy. It takes an expert hand. The crepe is filled with shrimp, pork, beansprouts, mung bean, green onions, mushrooms and onions. It’s always served with lettuce leaves, mints and other Vietnamese herbs. We’d make hand rolls by filling the lettuce leaves with the crepe and fresh herbs, then dip the entire thing in fish sauce (in different regions, they may vary the sauce a little).
Each bite has the perfect combination of crispy and warm texture with a slight hint of coconut in the batter. It’s simply heaven. I get too impatient so I usually skip this tedious step and help avoid dirtying my shredding the lettuce and mints in a huge bowl. Place the entire crepe on top of the salad and pour the dipping sauce all over it. Not the daintiest table manners but it does the job!
