Roll It Up!

Our first night in Hoi An, we ate at a restaurant famous for bánh xèo. These savory rice pancakes, which literally translate to “sizzling pancake,” are named for the loud sizzling sound that comes from pouring rice batter into a hot skillet. The batter is super simple: just rice flour and water. In some regions, coconut milk is used, which lends an extra richness. Turmeric powder adds a lovely yellow color.

Bánh xèo are beloved for good reason – they’re delicious! They’re also pretty versatile; vegetarian or meat fillings are equally good, so you can stuff them however you like. I’ve heard that Vietnamese-Americans nicknamed these “happy pancakes,” and I love that. They certainly made us happy!

Turmeric powder gives the pancakes their bright yellow hue.

So here’s how you eat it. First, lay two pieces of rice paper on your open palm. Then, add a rice pancake. It already has tasty shrimp, egg, and mung beans. Next, top with salad greens or maybe some pickled vegetables if you’re feeling wild. Our guide called this “local kimchi.” Finally, time for meat! Barbecue pork with sesame seeds is delicious. Or a fried pork roll, if you’d prefer some crunch. Roll everything up into a burrito shape and devour. Oh and don’t forget the sauce. It’s a secret sauce made from minced pork and soybeans. Delicious!

So, to recap my Seven Steps to Enlightenment:

1 – Rice Paper

2 – Rice pancake

3 – Salad

4 – Meat

5 – Sauce

6 – Roll

7 – Repeat until you’re so full they have to roll you out the door 😜

After dinner, I was given a tour of their kitchen. It was fun to see the cook crank out rice pancakes. She was handling TEN pans at the same time. Clearly, she had pancakes down to a science. In contrast, the grill was fairly simple; just coals and a mesh top. I’m so used to grilling with gas at home, that I sometimes forget how much flavor coals give meat. Fires have such a wonderful smoky aroma. Divine.

This restaurant literally serves one dish, and now I see why. Their rice pancake is the perfectly chewy, scrumptious vehicle for savory, fatty, barbecued meat. Their secret sauce was so salty, so addictive, that I came back for thirds and fourths. And then I started eating it with a spoon which was probably a faux pas but who cares IT WAS GREAT.

In my book, Vietnamese bánh xèo deserves a shrine of honor alongside other immensely satisfying cylindrical foods like burritos, pitas, shawarma, falafel, tacos, etc. If you visit Hoi An, add “eat bánh xèo” to your travel to-do list. I guarantee you’ll love it.