Bánh Xèo (Hue-Style Crispy Rice Pancake)

Central Vietnam's small, crisp rice-flour pancakes, cooked in Hue with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts and eaten wrapped in greens. A popular local snack rather than a uniquely Hue dish.

Bánh xèo is found across Vietnam, but the central region, including Hue, has its own version: small, thick and crisp rather than the large, thin pancakes of the south. A batter of rice flour and turmeric is poured into a hot pan, sizzling loudly as it cooks (the name imitates the sound), then folded over a filling of shrimp, sliced pork and bean sprouts. In Hue the pancakes are served with a stack of lettuce, herbs, sliced green banana and star fruit. You wrap a piece of pancake in the leaves and dip it in sauce; many Hue vendors serve a thick, savoury dipping sauce alongside the usual fish sauce. The texture is crunchy at the edges and soft in the middle, and the fillings are lightly seasoned. It is most often eaten as an afternoon or evening snack and pairs closely with bánh khoái, Hue's own richer pancake, which is worth trying for comparison. Expect to eat with your hands.