Banh Xeo or The Sizzling Crepe of Vietnam

I'm a huge fan of food and a cooking enthusiast, yet never written a line about cooking since I started this blog. Few days ago, a friend of mine asked for the banh xeo recipe in return for his googly-eye rocks. Of course i'm down for that.

So, here we are, looking at my way to sizzle the pan :)

part 1: the ingredients

First off let's start with the preparation for ingredients. Check out the list below.

Here's your grocery checklist

14oz rice flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp turmeric powder

2 ¼ cup water

1 ¼ coconut milk

300 g pork belly thinly sliced

500 g small white shrimp tips and legs trimmed

Fresh vegetable platter: lettuce/mustard leaves, mint, cilantro, perilla etc.

Basically this is all you need to get the dish done. Once everything is prepared, split them into two: the crepe and the fillings. People from different parts of the country enjoy different types of the crepe. For instance, while the Southerns want it rich and buttery, the Middles prefer theirs to be crispy and simple. My mom's from the south and my dad's from the middle, so, every time we make this at home or family reunion, I always have to prepare 2 different crepe batter. What i'm going to show you right here is the crispy one, since it's also the easier one.

part 2: the fillings

1. Season the pork belly and shrimp with salt and pepper

2. Heat a heavy-bottom pan for 2-3 mins

3. Add a pinch of oil and quickly stir-fry them on high heat for 1 min

4. Rinse the bean sprout and set it aside

part 3: the batter

In a large mixing bowl:

1. dissolve the rice flour, turmeric powder and salt in water

2. add coconut milk

3. add chopped spring onion

4. stir well

5. let the batter rest for 30 minutes

part 4: the crepe

Heat a heavy- bottom skillet on high heat, then:

1. Add 1 tsp vegetable oil

2. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter and tilt the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter evenly

3. Cover and fry for 1 minute

4. Uncover and add some beansprouts, then cover again and fry for another 1 minute

5. Fold the crepe in half

6. Fry for another 1 minute and transfer to a plate

7. Repeat until you finish the batter

part 5: the dipping sauce

With the ratio 1 sugar: 1 fish sauce: 5 water, in a bowl, combine:

1. sugar

2. water

3. fish sauce

4. stir it well.

5. add lime juice

6. add minced garlic and chilli

part 6: roll it up, dip it in, eat it up

part 7: plan your next trip to Vietnam

that's it folks. happy cooking!