Vietnamese Crepes: Banh Xeo with Nouc Cham Sauce

In search of new recipes using gluten-free flours (we had a lot to get rid of before moving), I came across banh xeo recipes all over the internet. They are very healthy, with a vegan crepe and a filling of proteins, vegetables, and herbs! Many thanks go to the existing recipes and videos that exist, and I honestly would not be able to credit a single one for this with the amount of browsing that I’ve done to figure out how to make these.

What is banh xeo?

Translating to “cake sizzle,” these savory Vietnamese crepes are named after the sound of the thin batter hitting the hot skillet. Despite their omelette-like appearance, banh xeo don’t contain any eggs! Lot of recipes call for coconut milk, but I found that using just a plain water-salt-rice flour-turmeric mixture produced scrumptious results. The batter is a simple mixture that becomes extremely crispy from the oiled pan and the batter’s thin consistency. These crepes are then filled with a variety of ingredients, usually consisting of mung bean sprouts, carrots, various herbs, shrimp, and pork (I leave the pork out).

How are they eaten?

These street foods are usually enjoyed in a casual family setting. Pieces of the crispy stuffed crepe are torn off and wrapped in lettuce leaves or rice paper along with herbs like fresh mint and cilantro. This bundle is then dipped in or drizzled with a light nouc cham sauce that’s a perfect balance of sweet, salty, sour, and umami flavor.

Vietnamese Crepes: Banh Xeo and Nouc Cham Sauce
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Yield: 12 crepes

Ingredients
For batter:

• 150 g rice flour
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp salt
• 360 g cold water or coconut milk
• Oil, for cooking

For filling:

• 1-pound shrimp and/or other protein
• Vegetables of choice: mung bean sprouts, julienned carrots, etc.
• Herbs of choice: mint, cilantro, green onion, serrano chilis, etc.
• 1 head Romanian or butter lettuce

For sauce:

• 2-3 limes, juiced
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2-3 Thai chilis, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
  

Directions

1. Prepare the batter by combining rice flour, turmeric, salt, and water or coconut milk. Whisk together until no lumps remain. Set aside in refrigerator to rest for at least 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together all of the nouc cham sauce ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Adjust lime juice, sugar, and sauce to taste. Set aside.
3. Prepare your shrimp by either quickly pan-frying it or boiling it for 2-3 minutes. Blanch the mung bean sprouts in hot water for 2-3 minutes and drain well.
4. To cook the banh xeo, heat an 8-inch cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Remove batter from refrigerator and stir it to make sure that the rice flour is well distributed. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. In one swift motion, spoon around 3 tbsp of batter into the pan while swirling the pan around to coat the bottom in batter. Listen for the loud sizzle!
5. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 1 minute before removing lid. Add a small handful of bean sprouts, cooked protein, and any herbs of choice onto half of the crepe. Once the edges of the crepe peel away from the pan, fold the crepe in half and remove onto a plate.
6. Serve immediately by wrapping in lettuce, adding more herbs, and dipping in the nouc cham sauce!

Per crepe (no filling, cooked with 1 tsp oil): 86 calories: 10.1 g carbs; 4.8 g fat; 0.6 g protein