Banh Xeo: The Sizzling Vietnamese Pancake (and the Right Way to Eat It in Hoi An)

Banh xeo means 'sizzling cake' in Vietnamese — named for the sound the rice-flour batter makes when it hits the hot pan. It is a thin, crispy, yellow pancake (yellow from turmeric in the batter) folded over a stuffing of small shrimp, sliced pork belly, bean sprouts, and sometimes mung beans. The pancake itself is about 30 centimetres wide before folding.

The central Vietnamese version (which is what you eat in Hoi An) is smaller and crispier than the southern Saigon version. Cost: 50,000 to 80,000 VND per piece at a family kitchen ($2 to $3.40). Most plates come with 1 or 2 pancakes plus the herb-and-rice-paper wrapping kit on the side.

It is a snack-meal — too big for a snack, too small for a full lunch. Most locals eat two pancakes between friends with a beer.

Banh xeo is not eaten directly with a fork. The dish comes with a stack of rice paper rounds, a plate of fresh herbs (mint, perilla, lettuce, Vietnamese basil), and a small bowl of fish-sauce dip (nuoc cham). The eating method:

Step 1: Take one rice paper, wet it briefly in a bowl of water (or skip if using soft fresh rice paper that does not need wetting).

Step 2: Lay 2 to 3 herb leaves on the rice paper.

Step 3: Tear off a piece of the pancake — about a quarter of the whole — and lay it on the herbs.

Step 4: Roll the rice paper around the filling like a tight cigar, tucking in the ends.

Step 5: Dip in the fish-sauce dip, eat in two bites.

Most travellers try to eat the pancake with a knife and fork. It works but you miss the point — the crispness of the pancake against the cool herbs and rice paper is the whole experience.

Banh Xeo Ba Le on Phan Chu Trinh street is the long-standing family kitchen — 65,000 VND a pancake, three generations of the same family running it, herbs grown in their own backyard. They open from 16:00 to 21:00 only; banh xeo is an afternoon-and-evening dish here.

Morning Glory restaurant (106 Nguyen Thai Hoc) serves an upscale version with shrimp and pork for 95,000 VND. The pancake itself is identical to family kitchens; you pay for the dining room.

Quan An Ngon at the night market on Nguyen Hoang street sells small banh xeo for 40,000 VND each — these are smaller (about 20 cm) and ideal for snacking while walking.

The vegetarian version (banh xeo chay) substitutes tofu, mushroom, and bean sprouts for the shrimp and pork. Karma Waters on Phan Chau Trinh and many cooking schools serve it.

Banh xeo is one of the easiest Vietnamese dishes to learn — the batter is rice flour, turmeric, coconut milk, and water; the technique is keeping the pan hot enough that the batter forms a crisp lace edge as it cooks. Most Hoi An cooking classes teach it as one of the 3 to 4 dishes in the half-day program.

Red Bridge Cooking School and the Tra Que village classes both include banh xeo with herb-harvesting. The Morning Glory cooking class with Ms Vy teaches a more refined version. Cost: $25 to $50 per person.

A reasonable banh xeo can be made at home with a non-stick pan and a bottle of fish sauce — the pancake travels well as a learn-and-cook souvenir. Cao lau cannot be exported (see the cao lau article for why). Banh xeo can.

On the 4-hour Hoi An food tour, banh xeo is sometimes a stop depending on the route. The food tour focuses primarily on cao lau, white rose dumplings, and banh mi — the three dishes most exclusive to Hoi An — but banh xeo fits naturally as the third or fourth tasting on routes that include a sit-down stop. If you specifically want banh xeo as part of the tour, mention it at booking and I'll route accordingly.