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Banh Xeo Vietnamese Crepes

Banh Xeo - Crispy Vietnamese Crepes with Sautéed Kale & Mushrooms

Banh xeo is most commonly made with a filling of pork, shrimp, scallions and bean sprouts, although you’ll see a variety of recipes calling for all types of fillings.

Course Dinner
Cuisine Vietnamese
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield 6 Crepes
Calories 207 kcal
Author Cyrus Roepers and Heather Rodgers

Ingredients

Batter:

  • 1 cup rice flour we used Bob’s Red Mill
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 2 1/2 cups sparkling water
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup beer optional, but highly recommended… otherwise use more sparkling water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 stalks of scallions sliced finely

Filling:

  • 1/2 cup mushrooms sliced thinly
  • 1 red bell pepper julienned
  • 1/2 cup kale de-stalked and chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic ~2 cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup shallots ~3 shallots, diced
  • 1 tablespoon coconut or olive oil

Nuoc Cham Sauce (Note: this is optional and definitely not vegan):

  • 1 tablespoons fish sauce this brand is OU compliant
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 5 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 red chili pepper finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced

Possible Side Garnishes:

  • Fresh basil
  • Fresh mint
  • Scallions
  • Fresh parsley
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Lettuce

Instructions

Step 1: Create the Batter

  1. Start by adding your rice flour, salt and turmeric into a mixing bowl.
  2. Next, add in your sparkling water, coconut milk and beer (if you choose to use it) into the mixing bowl. Whisk your batter together until you have a nice, runny batter (no clumps of flour).
  3. Let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes. During this time, you can work on preparing the filling and your nouc cham.

Step 2: Prepare Filling and Sauce

  1. Take a heavy-bottom non-stick pan and place it over medium-high heat. Once heated, add oil followed by garlic and shallots. Sauté for 30 seconds as they start to become fragrant.
  2. Next, add your mushrooms and red bell pepper and mix around. Cover the pan and let the ingredients steam together for 5-7 minutes. Just be sure to jostle the pan every so often to keep things from sticking.
  3. After a couple of minutes, uncover the pan and add your kale, then re-cover the pan to continue steaming for another 2-3 minutes.
  4. Once all your filling ingredients have softened, remove the cooked vegetables from the pan and set aside for the next round of cooking. Also, carefully wipe your pan clean of any remaining bits of filling, but don’t wash it… there’s yummy flavor in there!

  5. Now, to make the sauce, take a small bowl and combine water, fish sauce, honey, lime juice, chilis, and garlic together. Stir well then set aside.

Step 3: Time to Make Your Banh Xeo

  1. Before you get started, add your scallions into the crepe batter and mix well.
  2. Take the same pan you used to sauté the filling and put it over medium-high heat. Lightly brush the surface with some coconut oil (but not too much!).
  3. With the pan heated, place a spoonful of filling back into the pan - keep it only on one half of the pan.
  4. Next, ladle a small amount of batter (~1/4 cup should do) over the filling ingredients and thinly cover the bottom of the pan. Here’s where you get the xeo sizzle as the airy liquid dissipates and the crepe quickly cooks.
  5. Cover the pan for 1 1/2 minutes to let the banh xeo steam.
  6. After this time, uncover and add some bean sprouts, then re-cover to let the crepe steam for another 1 1/2 minutes.
  7. Finally, uncover your banh xeo, carefully fold the non-filling half of the crepe over the half with filling, then take the crepe out of the pan and serve immediately.
  8. Repeat until all your crepes batter is gone.