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.
Ingredients
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For Pancake
- For Filling
- For Nước Chấm Sauce
- For Serving