Virtual Vacation: The Hunt for Banh Xeo

Vietnam - Saigon never sleeps. Day or night, the traffic is an incomprehensible cacophany of scooters and honking horns as people weave among each other in an endless succession of near accidents. The sidewalks are subdivided into a patchwork quilt of rented squares, each small segment hosting a vendor. Black market CDs, wooden birdcages, magazines and colorful fabrics sit alongside food vendors, each offering their own specialty from makeshift stovetops.

For a while, I was hooked on the pho variations nearest my accomodations. As confidence grew, so did my circle of exploration, until one day I stumbled across my first bánh xèo down the end of a crooked alleyway. Cooked atop a charcoal brazier on a smoking hot griddle, bánh xèo were yellow "pancakes" enfolding bit of pork, shrimp and fresh bean sprouts, crispy outside yet soft inside. It was love at first bite. I devoured three in a row, each the size of a dinner plate but costing only 6500 dong (about $0.40/each).

I never was able to find my way back to that first alley stall again, but that day marked the start of my obsession. Every place we traveled, I kept my eyes open for bánh xèo. There was a cook in the central Ben Thanh market that did a decent job, and another further field in Dalat, but none that could match the first time.

Sadly, I include my own attempt below in the litany of failed huntings, even though my dinner guests couldn't stop eating them. I knew that they were too thick, leading to a slightly chewy texture, and that cooking on hot teflon couldn't match the flavor of a well-seasoned griddle. Each bánh xèo was cooked to order, a grueling but fun way to serve dinner, individual pancakes hot from the stovetop.

Bánh Xèo
Serves 3-4.

• 2 c. rice flour
• 1/2 t. tumeric
• 1 scallion, sliced very thin
• 1 3/4 c. water
• vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 lb. pork loin, sliced into thin strips
• 1 lb. medium/small shrimp, peeled
• 1 small onion, thinl sliced
• 1/2 lb. mushrooma, sliced
• salt and pepper
• 2-3 c. bean sprouts
• nuoc cham dipping sauce

Whisk together rice flour, tumeric, sliced scallion and water. It should be thinner then pancake batter, but because mine were still a little thick, I can't vouch for exactly how thin.

Heat a skillet on high until a drop of water dances on the surface. You'll want to keep the temp fairly high in order to get a crisp exterior. Add a teaspoon of oil, then add four slices of pork, a couple shrimp, some onion and mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pork is done. Ladle 1/2 c. batter over meat and vegetables and then cover with a lid. (I go heavy on the meat/shrimp so that it works better as an entree.) Wait a minute then spread bean sprouts over half pancake. Cover again and cook another minute or two. The pancake is done when the edges brown and curl up.

Fold in half and serve immediately with nuoc cham for dipping.

Variations:
→ Omit the pork and shrimp for a vegetarian version.
→ It is common to serve banh xeo with lettuce leaves and mint springs. To eat, tear off a portion of banh xeo, wrap in a lettuce leaf with mint and dip in the nuoc cham.
→ Substitute coconut milk for the water.

If you'd like to read more about bánh xèo vendors in Saigon, there is no more comprehensive nor entertaining reference than noodlepie. If only I'd had Graham's site at my fingertips back then!

This post was inspired by the Virtual Vacation Contest. I also wrote about my first taste of oyako donburi while visiting Tokyo.