Dro's Banh Xeo

Banh Xeo (pronounced ban say-oh) is a Vietnamese crepe filled with pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts then served with pickled vegetables, greens, and herbs. I especially love it because growing up in a large family, it was a staple at our gatherings. It’s easy to make a lot of and everyone can customize it to their liking. 

This dish's layered flavors are attributed to the combination of the golden-hued crepe, crisp greens, bright herbs, zippy pickled vegetables, umami-laden fish sauce, and aromatic alliums - which is made even easier with JSC’s Infused Black Garlic Salt and Van Van’s Northern Mountain Garlic and Coastal Purple Shallot. 

Recipe by: Dro Sayavong

Makes 10-15 Crepes

Process

To Prep

Rinse the vegetables and herbs, mince the garlic and shallots, and chop the green onions. Peel and devein your shrimp and thinly slice your pork. 

To make your batter, mix the Banh Xeo flour according to the instructions on the bag and an extra ¼ cup of water. I prefer my crepe on the thinner side, so I add a little more water to the flour mix to ensure my desired consistency.

Heat a non-stick pan with oil, then add half of your minced garlic and shallots. Add in the sliced pork and make sure you stir to incorporate all of the minced goodness. Sprinkle Infused Black Garlic Salt and Infused Rosemary Salt to taste. Pull the pork once it's browned. Duplicate the same process with the shrimp with the remaining half of your minced garlic and shallots. 

Set up your station with the batter, bean sprouts, chopped green onions, and a small bowl of oil, then you're ready to cook! 

To Cook and Assemble 

With your heat on medium/high, drizzle a tablespoon of oil on your non-stick pan. Add in 5-6 pieces each of cooked pork and shrimp to the pan and ensure they're evenly distributed before you ladle in the flour mixture. Make sure you always stir the batter before adding it to the pan since the mixture can separate. 

With a tilting motion, tilt the pan in a circular pattern to evenly distribute the batter and ensure an even coating to the base of the pan. Sprinkle the crepe with chopped green onions then  add bean sprouts to one side of the crepe.

After 2-3 minutes, slowly drizzle oil along the outer edge of the crepe to create a crispy, crunchy edge. Once browning occurs, fold the crepe in half before removing it from the pan. If you prefer a crispier texture, leave it on the pan a few minutes longer.

Serve with herbs, greens, pickled carrots and daikon, and Nuoc Cham (a Vietnamese dipping sauce that you can buy or make) finished with Van Van's fried garlic and shallots. 

To eat, I like to make a lettuce wrap with a little of the Banh Xeo and herbs, but enjoy it however you'd like!