Bánh Xèo — Vietnamese Sizzling Crêpes
Vietnam's sizzling crêpe (the name means 'sizzle cake'): a crisp, golden, turmeric-yellow rice-flour pancake made shatteringly thin and filled with pork, prawns and bean sprouts. You tear off pieces, wrap them with herbs and lettuce, and dip in nuoc cham — a hands-on, fresh-and-crunchy feast that's naturally gluten- and dairy-free.
Whisk a thin batter of rice flour, a little cornflour, turmeric, coconut milk and water, and rest it. Get a pan very hot, sizzle in pieces of pork and prawn, then pour in a thin layer of batter and swirl so it crisps lace-thin. Pile bean sprouts (and onion) on one half, cover to steam, then fold over and cook until crisp. Serve with a big plate of lettuce and herbs to wrap, and nuoc cham to dip.
- Keep the batter thin and the pan hot — that's what makes bánh xèo crisp and lacy, not thick.
- Turmeric gives the signature golden colour; coconut milk in the batter adds richness and crunch.
- It's a wrap-and-dip dish: tear pieces into lettuce with herbs and dunk in nuoc cham.
Equipment
- Non-stick or well-seasoned pan with lid
- Ladle
- Mixing bowl
Ingredientes
Batter
- 200 g rice flour
- 30 g cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 150 ml coconut milk
- 350 ml water (or more, for a thin batter)
- 2 spring onions, sliced; pinch salt
Filling
- 200 g pork belly or shoulder, thinly sliced
- 200 g prawns, peeled
- 200 g bean sprouts
- ½ onion, sliced; oil for frying
To serve
- Lettuce, mint, perilla, coriander, Thai basil
- Nuoc cham (fish sauce, lime, sugar, water, garlic, chilli)
Preparação
- PASSO01
Whisk the rice flour, cornflour, turmeric, salt, coconut milk and water into a thin, smooth batter (like single cream) and stir in the spring onion. Rest 30 minutes.
- PASSO02
Get a non-stick pan hot with a little oil. Sizzle the sliced pork and a few prawns with some onion until just cooked.
- PASSO03
Stir the batter, then ladle a thin layer into the hot pan and immediately swirl to coat in a thin, lacy round. Let it crisp.
- PASSO04
Pile bean sprouts over one half, cover with a lid for a minute to steam, then uncover and cook until the base is deep golden and crisp. Fold the crêpe over the filling.
- PASSO05
Slide onto a plate and repeat. To eat, tear off pieces, wrap in lettuce with a bundle of herbs, and dip in nuoc cham.
Make ahead
Make the batter and nuoc cham ahead, and prep the herbs and fillings. Cook the crêpes fresh to serve, one at a time, so each is hot and crisp.
Storage
Best eaten immediately, hot and crisp from the pan — they soften quickly. The batter keeps a day refrigerated (whisk before using), and nuoc cham keeps a week. Cook to order rather than holding.
Variations
Vegetarian
Fill with tofu and mushrooms instead of pork and prawn, and use a vegan dipping sauce.
Central Vietnam style
Make smaller, thicker bánh khoái-style cakes, common in Huế.
Extra crisp
Add a little beer or more cornflour to the batter and keep it thin for an even crispier lace.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Perguntas frequentes
What does bánh xèo mean?
It means 'sizzling cake' — 'xèo' is the sizzle sound the thin batter makes as it hits the hot pan. The name captures the technique: a fierce, hot pan and a thin batter that crisps into a lacy, golden crêpe.
Why is bánh xèo yellow?
From turmeric in the batter, not egg — bánh xèo is naturally egg-free. The turmeric gives the signature golden colour, while coconut milk adds richness and helps the crêpe crisp. It's also naturally gluten-free, being made from rice flour.
How do I get it really crispy?
Keep the batter thin (about the consistency of single cream), get the pan properly hot, use enough oil, and swirl the batter into a thin layer. Cooking it long enough to deeply colour the base — and not overfilling — gives that shatteringly crisp lace.
How do you eat bánh xèo?
By hand: tear off a piece of the crêpe, wrap it in a lettuce leaf with a generous bundle of fresh herbs, and dip the parcel in nuoc cham. The cool, fresh herbs and lettuce balance the rich, crisp crêpe — it's an interactive, shareable meal.
Is bánh xèo gluten-free?
Yes — it's made from rice flour and cornflour with no wheat, so it's naturally gluten-free (and dairy-free). Just make sure your dipping sauce uses a gluten-free fish sauce if you're strict about it.
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