Vegan Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Pancake)

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Yields: 2 Servings Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 10 Mins Cook Time: 20 Mins Total Time: 30 Mins

Often accused of being an egg pancake, bánh xèo is actually one of those accidentally vegan delights. The name literally translates to “sizzling pancake”. I love to have vegan banh xeo for lunch on a hot day. This crispy and springy pancake with the fragrance of coconut is so moreish!

In my vegan banh xeo, I used semi-firm tofu, straw mushrooms and enoki mushrooms. You can change the filling as you please, but you have to have the bean sprouts that go on top. That’s kinda the deal.

The traditional banh xeo in Vietnam is not super fat and over-stuffed like the ones we often see in restaurants overseas. If the pancake is over-stuffed, you can’t eat it properly with the additional wrappers.

Mekong delta style banh xeo is eaten wrapped in leaves like a spring roll. In some parts of Vietnam, notably Hoi An, they wrap the banh xeo in small pieces of softened rice paper. Both options are super tasty and you can have both at once, why not! Since I can’t get the small rice paper rounds here, I am using mustard and romaine lettuce leaves.

You can actually buy pre-mixed banh xeo flour in some places, which will save you a bit of effort.

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Ingredients

0/21 Ingredients
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    For Pancake
  • For Filling
  • For Nước Chấm Sauce
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Instructions

0/9 Instructions
  • Mix the dry batter ingredients in a big mixing bowl. Mix the coconut cream and water in a separate bowl. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and whisk until there are no more clumps. Don't get too excited though, we don't want lots of bubbles.
  • Slice the mushrooms and tofu thinly. Diagonally slice the spring onion whites so they are long and thin.
  • Heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat in a non-stick pan. Place a portion of the filling in the pan. I got too excited and put too much filling in, so please put like half my amount. There should be good spacing between the ingredients.
  • When the ingredients are cooked, moved them to one side of the pan.
  • Stir the batter to make sure everything is nicely mixed. Pour 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan and swirl the pan to fill all the nooks and crannies.
  • Place a handful of bean sprouts over the filling and cover the pan with a lid for 3 minutes. You want the bean sprouts to be slightly softened and the edges of the pancake to turn translucent.
  • Cook uncovered for another 2-3 minutes. Using a spoon, run 0.5 tbsp of oil around the edge of the pancake so the edges start to sizzle. This is the essential "xeo" in banh xeo.
  • Fold the pancake over. Serve with fresh raw mustard/lettuce leaves (stem removed) or small rounds of rice paper; a selection of herbs, usually basil, mint, coriander, or perilla; and nuoc cham dipping sauce.
  • To eat, tear a piece of off the pancake and wrap it in a big leaf or rice paper with some herbs. Dip into the nuoc cham and enjoy!

Tags

#basil  #batter  #mushrooms  #tofu  

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