Banh Xeo<\/b> is a crispy Vietnamese savory crepe made from a turmeric-yellow rice flour batter, pan-fried until shatteringly crisp at the edges and folded over a filling of shrimp, sliced pork, bean sprouts, and mung beans. The crepe is a centerpiece of Central and Southern Vietnamese cuisine<\/b>, traditionally eaten by tearing pieces, wrapping them in lettuce and herbs, and dipping into n\u01b0\u1edbc ch\u1ea5m sauce.<\/p>\n
Jump to Recipe<\/a><\/p>\n The Southern b\u00e1nh x\u00e8o<\/b> from H\u1ed3 Ch\u00ed Minh City and the Mekong Delta is the largest version, measuring 25\u201330 cm across, made with a coconut-milk-enriched batter that produces a deeply golden, crispy edge. Fillings include shrimp, sliced pork belly, bean sprouts, and steamed mung beans. The crepe is folded in half over the filling and served whole on the plate.<\/p>\n Central Vietnamese b\u00e1nh kho\u00e1i<\/b> from Hu\u1ebf is a smaller, thicker, denser cousin, about 15 cm across, served with a rich peanut-sesame dipping sauce instead of n\u01b0\u1edbc ch\u1ea5m. B\u00e1nh x\u00e8o Phan Thi\u1ebft<\/b> from the south-central coast is even smaller (mini-pancake size), made without coconut milk, with a thicker batter and topped with squid or fish. B\u00e1nh x\u00e8o chay<\/b> is the vegetarian version with mushrooms and tofu.<\/p>\n Regional adaptations include b\u00e1nh x\u00e8o mi\u1ec1n T\u00e2y<\/b> from the Mekong Delta, often filled with duck meat or freshwater fish; b\u00e1nh x\u00e8o Quy Nh\u01a1n<\/b>, characterized by particularly thin and crispy edges; and modernized restaurant versions in Vietnamese diaspora communities that include beef, octopus, or fusion fillings such as bulgogi or curry chicken \u2014 variations less common in Vietnam itself.<\/p>\n Whisk 200 g rice flour<\/b> with 30 g cornstarch, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, \u00bd teaspoon salt, and 2 finely chopped scallions in a bowl. Add 250 ml coconut milk and 250 ml cold sparkling water; whisk until smooth. Rest the batter at least 1 hour, ideally overnight refrigerated, allowing the rice flour to fully hydrate and the gluten-free structure to set up properly.<\/p>\n Boil 100 g split mung beans in water for 20 minutes until tender; drain and reserve. Slice 200 g pork belly into 5 mm strips and marinate with 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 minced shallot, 1 minced garlic clove, and \u00bd teaspoon sugar for 20 minutes. Peel and devein 200 g medium shrimp. Rinse 200 g mung bean sprouts and pick a large platter of fresh herbs \u2014 perilla, mint, cilantro, fish-mint, and butterhead lettuce leaves.<\/p>\n Heat a 25 cm non-stick or carbon-steel skillet over medium-high heat with 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. When smoking, add 4 pork strips and 4 shrimp; cook 90 seconds. Stir the batter and pour 80 ml into the pan, swirling immediately to coat the entire surface in a thin layer. Top with a small handful of bean sprouts and 1 tablespoon cooked mung beans on one half of the crepe.<\/p>\n Cover the pan and cook 2 minutes until the bottom is crisp. Uncover, drizzle 1 teaspoon oil around the edges, and cook 1 more minute uncovered. Fold the crepe in half over the filling using a flexible spatula. Slide onto a warm plate. Serve immediately with lettuce leaves, mixed herbs, and a small bowl of n\u01b0\u1edbc ch\u1ea5m (3 tablespoons fish sauce, 3 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons sugar, 4 tablespoons water, 1 minced chili, 1 minced garlic clove).<\/p>\n Print Recipe<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n A soft, pale crepe results from insufficient pan heat or too much batter. The pan must be visibly smoking before the batter hits, and the batter layer should be thin enough that the entire crepe goes from liquid to set within 30 seconds. Adding more batter to thicken the crepe is the most common error and ruins the defining crispy texture; less is always better.<\/p>\n Skipping the rest period for the batter produces a gritty texture and weak structure that tears when folded. Rice flour is much coarser than wheat flour and requires at least 1 hour of hydration to fully soften \u2014 overnight refrigeration is ideal. The cold sparkling water adds carbonation that helps create the lacy, crisp edge characteristic of well-made b\u00e1nh x\u00e8o.<\/p>\n Eating b\u00e1nh x\u00e8o plain, like a Western pancake, misses the entire experience. The crepe is meant to be torn into pieces, wrapped inside a lettuce leaf with several types of herbs, then dipped in n\u01b0\u1edbc ch\u1ea5m. The wrapping introduces fresh, cooling, herbaceous counterpoints to the crispy oily crepe and salty filling \u2014 without the lettuce-and-herb assembly the dish feels heavy and one-dimensional.<\/p>\n B\u00e1nh x\u00e8o’s name is onomatopoeic \u2014 “x\u00e8o”<\/b> imitates the sizzling sound the batter makes when it hits the hot pan. According to Wikipedia’s account of b\u00e1nh x\u00e8o<\/a>, the dish has been part of Vietnamese cuisine since at least the 18th century, with the Central Vietnamese version (b\u00e1nh kho\u00e1i) likely predating the Southern coconut-milk style that developed under the influence of Khmer cuisine in the Mekong Delta during the 19th century.<\/p>\n The dish was historically a special-occasion food rather than a daily meal, prepared for family gatherings or village celebrations because of the labor required to soak and grind rice into batter, prepare multiple fillings, and wash large quantities of fresh herbs. Industrial rice flour and pre-soaked mung beans available since the mid-20th century have made b\u00e1nh x\u00e8o more accessible for casual home cooking.<\/p>\n Today b\u00e1nh x\u00e8o is one of Vietnam’s most internationally celebrated dishes, served at specialty restaurants in Vietnam and Vietnamese diaspora communities worldwide. H\u1ed3 Ch\u00ed Minh City’s B\u00e1nh X\u00e8o 46A on \u0110inh C\u00f4ng Tr\u00e1ng Street is among the most famous tourist destinations for the dish, while Central Vietnamese b\u00e1nh kho\u00e1i remains tightly associated with Hu\u1ebf’s culinary identity and historic court cuisine traditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Popular Recipes and Regional Variations<\/h2>\n
Preparation Technology<\/h2>\n
Tips and Common Mistakes<\/h2>\n
History and Cultural Significance<\/h2>\n