Our Taste of Home: Banh Xeo

picture credit to Beyond Sweet and Savory: https://shorturl.at/zAX38

by Duy (Tom) Lam

One of my favorite dishes from my homeland, Vietnam, is Bánh Xèo. It’s a crispy, yellow crepe-like rice flour shell filled with simple ingredients, typically pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts. I typically eat it wrapped in lettuce leaf (to keep my hands from getting oily) and drizzled with Nước chấm which is a dipping sauce made with fish sauce, sugar, and lime. This dressing is ubiquitous in Vietnamese cuisine and completes every meal. The crispy shell, combined with the simple yet delicious filling, along with the refreshing lettuce, topped off with a flavorful dipping sauce gives a truly amazing food experience!

And most importantly, the recipe is super simple to make! I typically buy a bag of Bánh Xèo base which premixes the batter and all I need to do is add some beer or soda water as directed on the package and mix well. After that, I mix in some chopped green onion and wash the bean sprouts and lettuce. I then prepare the pork, cutting it into thumb-sized pieces, and then unshelling the shrimp (I’m a bit picky so you can actually skip the unshelling for some extra crunch). Finally, I start the frying process, putting in a bit of oil and pouring as little batter as possible to cover the pan and then putting a handful of the pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts. After the bottom is golden brown, I fold it in half and wait a few minutes before transferring it to a plate. I always have Nước chấm on hand which is a 3 to 1 to 1 to 1 ratio of water, sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce respectively. And that’s it, you have the recipe for one of my favorite comfort foods!