So I had a bunch of girlfriends over for supper in my garden recently and I was pondering what to cook. I had to avoid dairy, gluten, lamb, chicken, pork and beetroot. It’s hot and I wanted to make something light and flavourful and something everyone would enjoy eating.

I thought that preparing Vietnamese pancakes, known as bánh xèo, could be a good talking point and they make a delicious lunch or supper option.

I posted all about them here in 2015 after I had visited Vietnam and fallen in love with all the food. It’s worth checking out that post as it shows you how to eat the pancakes with some step-by-step videos.

The recipe is basically the same, although I have made a few tweaks – namely adding cornflour to help make the pancake more crispy, using coconut cream instead of coconut milk (but either is fine) and adding the green part of spring onions finely chopped in the batter. You can add whichever herbs you can get hold of, but ideally coriander, mint or Vietnamese mint, Thai sweet basil, holy basil. I picked them all up at Korean foods, but any Asian supermarket should have a good selection and even some of the mainstream supermarkets sometimes stock Thai basil, as well as coriander and mint. Thai sweet basil has a sweet, anise like flavour and holds its shape well in cooked dishes, whilst holy basil is a little peppery with clove notes and it wilts quickly.

The pancakes are traditionally filled with prawn, pork slithers and beansprouts, but avoiding meat I opted to just include prawns and beansprouts. A key component is the dipping sauce called nuoc cham, which is a light, vibrant Vietnamese dipping sauce that balances sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavours. It is made with fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, water, garlic, and chilies, it cuts through the richness of crispy banh xeo while enhancing its savoury pork (if using) and prawn filling. Its signature flavour comes from the harmony of umami-rich fish sauce, fresh lime, balanced sweetness, and the aromatic heat of garlic and bird’s eye chilies. You can add a splash of rice vinegar too, although typically it is not necessary.

I know many people feel self conscious about cooking in front of other people, but this was such a fun experience and only one person had eaten them before. I used my pancake pan to prepare them one by one and then kept them in a warming oven whilst I did the next. They really only take a few minutes each and once they were done we could sit down and wrap them in the lettuce cups with all the delicious herbs before dipping in the nuoc cham.

A couple of points to consider when making these:

1. make sure you buy rice flour and NOT glutinous rice flour.
2. less is more when you ladle in the batter. Heat a little oil and then put a ladle full in the pan and  swirl it around quickly so that it covers the surface of the pan. Don’t touch it for a minute or so, allowing it to light bronze and crisp up.
3. Make sure the batter is similar to a regular pancake batter. If you feel it needs to be thinner, simple add a little extra cold water.
4. You can make the batter and nuoc cham in advance and leave covered in the fridge.

Have you tried eating these before? Do give the recipe and go and let me know how you get on.

Vietnamese Pancakes - Bánh Xèo

Delicious Vietnamese pancakes known as bánh xèo make a delicious lunch or supper for family and friends

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 7

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 250 g rice flour (not glutinous rice flour)
• 60 g corn flour
• 320 g coconut cream (or coconut milk)
• 250 ml cold water
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 spring onions, green part only, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 lime, juice only
• 1-2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
• 2-3 tbsp granulated or caster sugar
• 700 g large prawns, sliced in two
• 100 g beansprouts
• 1 tsp coconut oil or a neutral oil in pan when preparing each pancakes
• 1 bunch fresh coriander
• 1 bunch mint or Vietnamese mint
• 1 bunch Thai sweet basil
• 1 bunch holy basil
• 2-3 whole Romaine lettuce or similar

Equipment

• 1 pancake pan or frying pan

Method

 

1. Begin by making the batter. Sieve both flours and then add the coconut cream (or coconut milk), water, turmeric powder, salt and spring onions. Make sure it is the consistency of pancake batter. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge, whilst you prepare the next steps
2. To make the nuoc cham dipping sauce place the fish sauce, lime, fresh chilli, garlic and sugar to a bowl and mix well. Taste test to suit your taste. If you like, you can add a splash of rice vinegar, but it is not necessary.
3. If the prawns are frozen, defrost them. I typically run them under cold water in a large bowl. Leave them for a few minutes and strain and repeat the process until they have thawed.
4. If you are using king/large prawns slice them horizontally so you have two thinner prawns from the one larger prawn. Place in a bowl, cover with cling film and then place in the fridge until ready to cook.
5. Prepare all the herbs and lettuce and place on a plate.
6. In a frying pan, add a little neutral oil and add the prawns and allow them to become pink and cooked. This will take a couple of minutes max. Pour onto a plate and then do the next batch until they are all cooked. Place to one side as you prepare the pancake.
7. Heat a pancake pan and add a little coconut oil or neutral oil. When it is hot add a ladle of the batter and swirl around so that it is evenly coated. Do not add too much batter as you want it crispy instead of too thick.
8. Allow the batter to begin to crisp for a few minutes.
9. Add a small amount of beansprouts on one side of the pancake and then add some of the cooked prawns.
10. Using a spatula see if the underside of the pancake is very lightly bronzing. Once it is, gently bring one side of the pancake up and over the side with the beansprouts and prawns so that they are covered. Leave for a further minute or two and then gently slide the pancake onto a plate. Repeat the process until you have made as many pancakes as you require.
11. I leave the cooked pancakes in a warming oven or a very low oven to keep them warm as you prepare the rest of the pancakes.
12. To serve, cut off a little of the pancake and place it on a lettuce leaf along with some herbs and then wrap, dip in the nuoc cham and eat. Delicious and great fun to eat too for all the family

Notes

I often make a Vietnamese pomelo salad to eat after this course.