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This recipe for Bánh Xèo Tôm Nhảy (translated Jumping Shrimp Sizzling Pancakes) came from my podcast guest, Larry Nguyen, one of America's preeminent fermentation chefs. Make sure you listen to his episode 169 Fermentation: A Philosophy of Life while you make his crispy, savory, Vietnamese Crêpes!
Thanks to Larry Nguyen for his mom's recipe for sizzling Vietnamese crepes cooked in a hot pan over a few shrimp, lots of mung bean sprouts, bright scallions, and aromatic herbs!
Larry is a longtime professional chef (and now one of the Larder Cheds at the high-end ōkta restaurant in Oregon) so you'll definitely want to read on for all his best tips and tricks for making these. Definitely make sure you read his memories of these pancakes as well!
What does Banh Xeo mean?
- Popular in Vietnamese cuisine, Hungry Huy says the name bánh xèo loosely means sizzling pancakes because of the loud sizzling
P.S. After you make this Vietnamese savory crepe, try all the pancake and crepe recipes from my global guests, including Bengali Malpua or Icelandic Pancakes.
Look, Flavor, and Texture
Look:
- Golden brown from turmeric and frying. From Larry: It is less common to see Binh Dinh style banh xeo colored with turmeric but my mom always added a little making it a mixture of the two styles in our household.
- Petite and open-faced. From Larry: The Binh Dinh version is smaller and does not get folded as the more common Banh Xeo seen throughout Vietnam.
Flavor:
- Super flavorful from shrimp, fresh herbs, and green onions. From Larry: The dish is very greens and herb heavy both cooked with the crepe and added into the roll.
- Served with a beautiful thin, red Nuoc Cham sauce which is perfectly spicy and garlicky!
Texture:
- A super light batter and lots of oil makes a crispy crepe. From Larry: It is commonly referred to as a pancake but to me it is more of a crispy crepe.
- Unlike French crepes, there are no eggs in this crepe. The rise comes from a carbonated beverage.
How to Eat
- From Larry: It is served with lettuce, mint, cilantro, mung bean sprouts, rice paper, and nước chấm (recipe included). Traditionally you would dip the rice paper in water and make a roll with the banh xeo and greens. Think spring roll.
- Keep plenty of Nuoc Cham in a small bowl on the side!
What is Nước chấm?
- A sweet and spicy Vietnamese Dipping sauce using garlic, red Thai bird chiles, and sugar.
- I found it spicy but addictive!!
Guest's Memories of Making Recipe
- From Larry: My mother made this for us when we were younger as a treat. It is a dish that is from the Binh Dinh Province in Vietnam as my family lived in Quy Nhon (in Southern Vietnam).
- Listen to Larry's episode for more on these crispy Vietnamese pancakes, Larry's family's story, his philosophy on leadership, and the art of fermentation.
Top Tip
Follow Larry's tips for better results!
- After mixing most of the batter ingredients, let the batter rest THEN add beer (for the most flavor) OR sparkling water, soda water, seltzer - anything with carbonation - just before cooking.
- Let the mung beans and white parts of the scallions soak for 20-30 minutes before using so they stay nice and crispy.
- You can use either a crepe pan or a nonstick, small skillet, make sure to keep it small - about 6". Not only is this authentic to Larry's region, but it's also a little easier to cook small crepes.
- You'll be using a lot of oil. So choose an oil with a high smoke point. For its smoke point and flavor, sesame was the choice for me.
Ingredients & Substitutions
To make this Banh Xeo recipe like Larry makes it, a few ingredients are:
Batter Ingredients
- White rice flour: not wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- Corn starch: adds crispiness
- Tapioca starch: adds elasticity
- Coconut milk: for flavor
- Turmeric: it is not common to the pancakes from Larry's region, but his mother used it and it does add such a lovely color!!
- Beer/Sparkling Water: beer is more flavorful (and what I used) but anything with carbonation will give the crepes a fizz and lightness
Filling Ingredients
- Shrimp: The recipe uses the white-legged jumping shrimp which is the traditional white-legged shrimp from Vietnam, but I just used the shrimp I already had
- White Onion
- Scallion: Both the green and the white parts
- Mung Bean Sprouts
- Herbs: Cilantro and Mint
Sauce Ingredients
- Fish Sauce: For the fish sauce brands, I used both Three Crabs fish sauce (traditional in our family home) and Red Boat fish sauce (more modern used in places I have worked)
- Turmeric: for the yellow color
- Red Thai chilis: local supermarket, H mart, Amazon
Serve with
- Make rice paper roll with fragrant herbs, lettuce leaves,
Instructions
It's a bit of a time-consuming process to make these crispy crepes, but fun if you leave yourself the time to do it!
- Stir batter, let rest, then add the carbonated beverage.
- Meanwhile, soak mung bean sprouts and the whites of the spring onions.
- Mix sauce.
- Turn a burner to medium-high heat and place a crepe pan or small skillet on top and generously oil.
- Place 4 shrimp, bean sprouts, and scallions into a hot skillet.
- Working quickly, pour a thin round of crêpe batter on top. Swirl in a circular motion to the edges of the pan.
- Add another small handful of bean sprouts.
- When finished, place on a wire rack to drain.
Equipment
Make the perfect Vietnamese Bánh Xèo
- Small skillet (nonstick) or crepe pan
- Medium or large mixing bowl
- Wire rack to drain
- Ladle
Storage
- Nope. Eat fresh 🙂
Food Safety
Just a few tips to keep you cooking those shrimp safely!
- Shrimp turn opaque and firm when fully cooked.
More from Southeast Asia/Oceania
More Seafood Dishes
Listen to Larry's Episode: 169 Fermentation: A Philosophy of Life with Chef Larry Nguyen
Copy short introduction
Recipe
Sizzling Vietnamese Crêpes Recipe (Bánh Xèo Tôm Nhảy)
Vietnamese Pancakes sizzle from the last minute addition of carbonated beverage. Cook your shrimp, scallions, and bean sprouts to perfection, then cover with a thin later of crepe batter and cook until crispy and delicious!
Ingredients
Bánh Xèo Batter (Sizzling Crepe Batter)
- 200 g White Rice Flour
- 5 g Corn Starch
- 5 g Tapioca Starch
- 300 g Coconut Milk
- 200 g Beer / Sparkling Water
- 1 g Turmeric Powder
- 1 g Salt
Nước chấm
- 50 g Fish Sauce (Red Boat or 3 Crab)
- 200 g Water
- 50 g Sugar
- 15 g Garlic, Minced
- 1 g Thai Bird Chiles, Sliced
Filling Ingredients
- 20 Shrimp, medium
- 1 White Onion
- 200 g Scallion Greens
- 200 g Scallion Whites
- 200 g Mung Bean Sprouts
Instructions
Make the Bánh Xèo Batter (Sizzling Crepe Batter)
- Combine solid ingredients in a mixing bowl
- Mix in the coconut milk until homogenous and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes
- Mix in the beer / sparkling Water and set aside
Make the Dipping Sauce
- Combine all the ingredients and stir until sugar is fully dissolved
- Set aside
Put It All Together
- Devein the shrimp and peel if desired
- Julienne the scallion whites and place in ice water for 20 minutes
- Cut the scallion greens into 3 cm long pieces
- Place the mung bean sprouts in ice water for 20 minutes
- Strain the scallion whites and mung bean sprouts
- Season a small skillet or crepe pan with oil and bring to medium-high heat.
- Place some scallion greens, white onions, and 4 shrimps into the pan and quickly using a 4oz ladle add the Bánh Xèo batter as evenly and thoroughly as possible
- Cook the batter until the bottom is set and add more oil under the Bánh Xèo if necessary
- Add as many mung bean sprouts as desired and cover with a lid to finish cooking the shrimp and steaming the sprouts
- Once the Bánh Xèo is cooked, with minor browning remove the Bánh Xèo onto a tray with a wire rack to help drain excess oil
- Serve with lettuce, mint, cilantro, mung bean sprouts, rice paper, and nước chấm.
Notes
Make sure to listen to Larry's episode Fermentation as Art, Science, and Life Philosophy as you make Bánh Xèo Tôm Nhảy!
Nutrition
Calories: 521kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 19gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 1.173mgPotassium: 798mgFiber: 5gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 1.013IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 152mgIron: 5mg
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