Connecting Through Food Project - Vietnamese Bánh Xèo

UC Davis Connecting Through Food Project aims to collect and distribute beloved recipes from our community so that everyone can learn and enjoy.

Food is culture. Food is memory. We all have recipes that we cook at home or eat with people whom we love. Sharing a meal together can be a practice self-care and celebration of community. Showcase your culture, whether local or global and special memories by submitting your favorite recipe and/or backstory.

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Angela's Story on Bánh Xèo

I didn't grow up with a mother who knew how to cook because she was never allowed in the kitchen during her childhood. My parents fled Vietnam in 1975, and eventually settled in Houston, TX, where I was born. She was busy working seven days a week, and we were very poor. Rice, soy sauce, eggs and frozen vegetables were our staples. I got to eat these sizzling crepe delights at family-friends' houses at parties. 

Vietnamese Bánh Xèo

It was when my dad remarried that I got to eat this at home more often. My stepmother was a good cook. The preparation of this dish on a hot, humid summer day was just the ticket to a light dinner and a refreshing balanced meal with refreshing components of all food groups. Pork loin and shrimp, meats used like condiments in Vietnamese cuisine is sprinkled throughout the dish. However, it's the melange of bright and peppery herbs, crunchy texture of the lettuce and bean sprouts, wrapped in the crispy layer of crepe, all rolled in a delectable lettuce wrap that brings back the best memories for me.

Ingredients:

Bánh Xèo - Sizzling Crepe Batter (Make ahead/Preferably Night Before)

1/2 c dried mung beans

1 c unsweetened coconut milk, stirred

2 c white rice flour (NOT sweet or glutinous rice flour)

1 c cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

4 c water

2 scallions (green onions)

Salt to taste

3/4 lb boneless pork loin sliced 1/4" thick OR Cooked oyster mushrooms or other thick/meaty mushroom, like shitake or portobello (vegan option)

3/4 lb medium shrimp, deveined, halved lengthwise OR sliced smoked firm tofu, cooked (vegan option)

1 medium onion, halved lengthwise, sliced thinly

3 c fresh bean sprouts (mung bean or soybean)

Fresh Red Leaf Lettuce - washed, dried for serving

Fresh mint leaves, perilla leaves, or any other leafy herbs available - washed, dried for serving

Nước Chấm - Sweet Spicy Dipping Sauce (Make Ahead/When batter is resting)

¼ cup fish sauce OR LIGHT soy sauce

¼ cup sugar

⅓ cup water

2 TBSP lime juice ~ 1/2 freshly squeezed lime

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small Thai chili pepper, finely diced

1 TBSP shredded carrot

1 tsp chili garlic sauce (Huy Fong Fresh Chili Garlic Sauce)

 

Recipe Procedure:

Phase 1:

  1. In a small bowl, soak the dried mung beans in warm water until they are softened, about 30 minutes.
  2. Drain the beans and transfer them to a blender.
  3. Add the coconut milk and puree until very smooth. Transfer the mung-bean puree to a large bowl, whisk in the white rice flour, cornstarch, water, scallions and turmeric, and season lightly with salt.
  4. Let the crêpe batter rest for at least 20 minutes or refrigerate overnight (preferable), and let return to room temperature and stir before making the crêpes.

Phase 2:

  1. Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet. Add a few slices of pork (or cooked mushrooms), a couple of shrimp (or smoked tofu) and a few slivers of white onion and cook for 30 seconds.
  2. Stir the crêpe batter and pour 2/3 cup of it into the pan; tilt and swirl the pan to coat the bottom with a very thin layer of batter, letting it come up the side of the pan.
  3. Scatter 1/4 cup of the bean sprouts over the crêpe and drizzle 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil around the edges.
  4. Cover the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until the bottom of the crêpe is golden and crisp (~2 minutes). Slide the crêpe onto a plate and serve with lettuce leaves, mint and the Sweet and Spicy Vietnamese Dipping Sauce.
  5. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, serving the crêpes as soon as they are cooked.

Sweet & Spicy Dipping Sauce: Set aside the carrots. Add the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl and stir together until the sugar dissolves completely. Add the carrots right before serving. You can also chili garlic sauce if you want it spicier.

 

Other Information: 

Category: Main Dish

Time typically served: Lunch, Dinner, Snack

Servings: 4 (12 crepes)