Shrimp and Sugar Snap Pea Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Sizzling Rice Crepes)

Sizzling rice crepes, called bánh xèo (“baan say-ow”) are a southern Vietnamese favorite. Made from rice batter tinted yellow by turmeric, the crepes typically contain pork, shrimp, straw mushrooms, and bean sprouts, which offer a refreshing crunch. Eaten fresh from the sizzling pan, they’re snipped with scissors, wrapped up in lettuce leaves, and plunged into nước chấm (“nook chum”) a dip made with fish sauce, chiles, lime, garlic, and sugar.

After eating at a spot in Ho Chi Minh City that offered more than a dozen variations on the crepe, cookbook author Andrea Ngyuen got creative with her filling in this bánh xèo recipe. Feel free to play around with the mix-ins: Sub half of the sugar snap peas with thickly sliced crimini, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms (use 2–3 medium ones with stems). She also tweaked the batter so it’s easily made from standard grocery store ingredients. Make sure to seek out coarser stone-ground white rice flour (not finely ground Thai rice flour), which will yield the appropriate batter consistency.

The technique for forming the crepes can take some practice, but as Nguyen points out: “Making these crepes is akin to making pancakes: adjust as you go. Also be patient.” She offers more helpful tips in her complete guide.

Bánh xèo and its accompaniments can be served as a complete meal, but if you like to balance the richness with a salad, try this one with tomatoes, fish sauce, and peanuts from New York’s celebrated pop-up Ha’s Dac Biet.

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published on May 25, 2020.