Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Crispy Rice Crepe)
Banh Xeo is a Vietnamese savory crepe made by pan-frying a thin rice-flour batter and folding it in half over shrimp, bean sprouts, onion, and other vegetables. Turmeric (curry powder) gives the batter its golden, crispy edges, and it's wrapped in rice paper with fresh vegetables and dipped in tangy-sweet nuoc cham sauce, which cuts through the richness. It's easy to make with ingredients you have at home, so anyone can enjoy it.
Ingredients
Batter
- Rice flour1 cup
- Starch powder1/2 cup
- Water1.5 cups
- Curry powder1 tbsp
Filling
- Shrimp150g
- Bean sprouts1 handful
- Green onion1/2 stalk
- Onion1/2
- ChivesA little
- Baby greensA little
- Rice paperAs needed
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
- Fish sauce1 tbsp
- Sugar1 tbsp
- Vinegar1 tbsp
- Water7 tbsp
- Minced vegetablesA little
- Cheongyang chiliTo taste
Directions
- 1
Mix 1 cup rice flour, 1/2 cup starch, and 1.5 cups water with about 1 tablespoon of turmeric (curry) powder, and stir well to make the batter.
- 2
Finely chop the green onion and cut the chives into 5 cm lengths. Also prepare the vegetables you'll wrap it with.
- 3
Slice the onion thinly.
- 4
Make the nuoc cham sauce: combine 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 7 tablespoons water, then stir in the minced vegetables and green chili.
- 5
Thaw 150 g of frozen shrimp by soaking them in cold water.
- 6
Sprinkle the shrimp with a little salt and sear them lightly in a pan.
- 7
Banh xeo needs plenty of oil and is fried almost like a fritter to stay thin and crispy, so add a generous amount of oil to the pan.
- 8
Pour the batter thinly into the pan. When bubbles start rising all over, the batter is cooking well.
- 9
Since you'll wrap it in rice paper, don't overload it — add just a little topping. First place the shrimp,
- 10
Add the onion, green onion, chives, and bean sprouts.
- 11
Fold it in half to cover, and it's done.
Tips
How to eat banh xeo — lay down a dry (unsoaked) sheet of rice paper, add a piece of the cut crepe and some vegetables, and roll it up like a gimbap. Dip it generously in the nuoc cham sauce. The heat of the crepe softens the rice paper, and the crisp vegetables and tangy-sweet sauce keep the oily batter from feeling heavy — it's delicious.