Da Nang Food: The Finger-Lickin’ Guide to Eating Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes)

You’re waiting in your tiny plastic chair, trying not to drool (…or break the chair) as you hear your Vietnamese savory crepe sizzle in the scorching hot frying pan. The aroma of the batter hitting the pan combined with the heavenly smell of pork skewers grilling on a smoky BBQ sends you into sensory overload. Your tummy knows. It’s GAME TIME. You’re ready to get your hands dirty. No wait. You were born ready.

It arrives:

YESSSSSSSSSS.

Meet my dear friend Bánh Xèo. But I like to call him Banh Wow. 

Bánh xèo (literally translated to “sizzling cake”) is a Vietnamese-style crepe (or some call it a “pancake”) indigenous to Da Nang‘s region, Quang Nam province in Central Vietnam. Savory, crispy, crunchy, herby, meaty goodness…all wrapped up to your liking in a beautiful little rice paper roll. The actual “crepe” is simply made with rice flour, water and turmeric, then cooked on a piping hot pan until it turns a gorgeous bright yellowy-gold, then filled with a variety of shrimp, pork and sprouts.

So how do you eat this thing?

Eating bánh xèo is certainly an art. A local taught me, and now I’m going to pass it on to you! For our tutorial, let’s go to my absolute favorite bánh xèo restaurant, and a local staple and institution here in Da Nang. It’s called Bánh Xèo Ba Duong, aka “Madame Duong” – and if you couldn’t guess, it was Madame Duong herself that came up with this incredible bánh xèo recipe decades ago, including her very own secret special peanut sauce. Ready to roll?! And into the alley we go…

…to find at the very end, bustling Bánh Xèo Ba Duong! The minute you step inside the hidden doors, you’ll be knocked off your feet by the sensory experience. Waiters scurrying around carrying huge trays of bánh xèo, the open kitchen banging out grilled pork skewers like a machine, locals left and right engulfed in their rolling… it can be intimidating. But don’t let it be! All you have to do is follow these rules.

8 steps to eating Bánh Xèo like a pro:

Step 1: Make sure your table is fully stocked with all the goodies.

Accompanying your gorgeous golden bánh xèo, you should have:  grilled pork skewers, a plate full of piled-high fresh greens, sliced cucumber, sliced green banana, julienned green papaya and carrots, and most importantly – the signature peanut sauce for dipping! (NOTE: The peanut sauce is specific to central Vietnam – you will most likely get it with fish sauce in other regions.)

Step 2: Grab a sheet (or 2) of rice paper and place your bánh xèo on it

Like THIS! PRO TIP: Make sure you place it length-wise.

Step 3: Add the greens!

Mustard greens, lettuce, Thai basil, parsley… it’s a green party! Grab ’em with your chopsticks and ever-so-artfully place them in your bánh xèo. Then add a couple slices of cucumber and green banana. Just don’t grab too much… you don’t want to be GREEndy! PRO TIP 2: Don’t add too much to your first roll – the more greens, the more difficult it is to roll.

Step 4: Twist the pork skewer in

I know, you were probably thinking “how does that oddly-shaped pork on a stick play a role in this whole thing?” Here’s how it works. Grab a skewer and place it on your bed of greens. Then close your bánh xèo hand ever-so-slightly, so it’s gripping onto the pork. Twist the stick out of the pork so just the pork is left in your bánh xèo…and voila!

Step 5: It’s time to roll!

Roll that baby on up! 10 points if you can roll it on your first try without it falling apart. (Practice makes perfect!)

Step 6: Dip…

My favorite part. Dip that baby into the peanut sauce! Get all up in there. Don’t be shy.

Step 7: EAT…and repEAT!

Ok, I lied. This is actually my favorite part. Self-explanatory. Eat and eat until you can’t repeat anymore 

Watch the video!

Bánh Xèo Ba Duong

FIND IT: 280/23 Hoang Dieu Street, Da Nang (City Center)

HOURS: Open every day, 9 AM – 9:30 PM

Have you ever had tried bánh xèo?! Any other Da Nang local food that has made you go “WOW”?