The food: Bánh xèo

Where to find it: Ben Tre Province, Vietnam

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A coconut rolls down a palm tree and plops into the murky, brown Mekong Delta. It bobs in the lazy stream until a makeshift net halts its swim. A fisherman hauls it up, hacks it open with a rusted hatchet and juices out its innards into a sizzling wok. This begins the recipe for Vietnam’s best savory pancake: bánh xèo.

For years the southern Ben Tre Province stands as the coconut king of Vietnam, and they undoubtedly add their specialty to their pancake. Bánh xèo literally translates to “sizzling cake”; it signifies the sound made when a chef ladles bánh xèo rice flour into the wok. Add in a little water, turmeric powder and stuff it with slices of fatty pork, shrimp, green onion, bean sprouts and, at least in Ben Tre, coconut juice and you’ve got yourself the proud pancake of south Vietnam.

Vietnam chefs have perfected the yin and yang balance of sweet and spicy. Dab your chopstick into any small bowl of Vietnamese sweet chili sauce and you will contemplate the meaning of balance, the harmony of sugar and spice. The Ben Tre bánh xèo masters this balancing act. The violent, crackling shell of the fried pancake takes on a tranquil presence as you bite into its juicy core.

Sure, as we learned back in the Vietnam War (or the “American War” for the Vietnamese), the people of the country have a tough shell and persevering grit. But like their fried bánh xèo, they’re sweet and subtle on the inside.

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Author’s note: above is a screenshot from the food & travel documentary series I’m shooting in Southeast Asia. This is from a scene of my favorite meal so far in Southeast Asia at a Buddhist temple in the Ben Tre Province of south Vietnam.

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Bánh Xèo Recipe

Fillings

• 1 /2 lb pork butt, cut into thin slices
• 1/2 ts salt
• 1/2 ts sugar
• 1/2 ts fish sauce
• black pepper
• 1/2 lb of shrimp (medium to large size, deveined and peeled)
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cups of bean sprouts (in small bowl wrapped in plastic wrap, steam small batches in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, drain and set aside)

Batter

• 1 package of banh xeo mix (basically rice flour either with turmeric pre-mixed or separate–we used the package above, but many brands are available)
• 3 cups of water or beer
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 1 cup of chopped scallions
• 1/2 ts salt

Accompaniments

• Whole green lettuce leafs, mint, perilla, basil,
• nuoc mam cham
• pickled carrots and daikon
• small bowl of cooking oil

Before starting to pour your crepes, make sure you have have plenty of counter space and line up all your ingredients ready to go–largest nonstick pan you have, a ladle and flexible spatula, batter, pork, shrimp, onions, and small bowl of cooking oil.
On high heat, heat 1 teaspoon of cooking oil in a nonstick frying pan and sautee a few pieces of pork–when it’s about 1/3rd of of the way done, add onion slices and shrimps since they are quicker to cook. Distribute the shrimps and pork evenly prior to adding the batter. Don’t use too much filling–you don’t want to overload the crepes.

Stir batter with ladle and add about 3/4 quarter ladle full into the center of the pan and quickly swirl the pan to evenly distribute a thin layer batter to the very edges of the pan. Try to go for as thin a layer as possible. You may have to adjust how much batter you use depending on how big your pan is.

Place a lid over for about 1.5 minutes or so. When you check the crepe notice that the area of uncooked batter in the center will get smaller and smaller (see above). When the crepe is almost completely cooked, the edges of the crepe start to curl up a bit and turn golden brown. Now take another small amount of cooking oil in a spoon distribute oil around the edges so the crepe gets crispy, won’t burn, and will be easier to flip.

Now add the pre-steamed beansprouts to one side of the crepe. Turn the heat down to medium heat and place the lid over for another 1 minute or until gold brown. Using the flexible spatula carefully flip over the other half. When golden and nicely browned, don’t try to lift the crepe out of the pan with a spatula; you can tilt the pan and slide the crepe over to a plate and serve immediately. When pouring the next crepe, add more oil as needed.

Enjoy with plenty of lettuce, mints, basil, and perilla. You can either break off small pieces of banh xeo and form lettuce wraps or combine all the herbs and break off some banh xeo and eat in a bowl. Some Vietnamese even wrap the banh xeo spring roll style with rice paper. Dip or dress with nuoc mam cham dipping sauce along with pickled carrots and daikon.

Recipe from  Southeast Market