Some dishes announce themselves. This one sizzles - literally. The name is the sound of batter hitting a smoking-hot pan, and if a plate arrives quiet and limp, something has already gone wrong.
Banh xeo is a savoury turmeric-tinted rice-flour crepe, fried thin until the edges go lacy and crisp. Inside go pork belly, small prawns, mung beans and bean sprouts added late so they steam rather than stew. It is folded like an omelette, served big, and meant to crackle when cut.
Travel Vietnam and the crepe changes size halfway up the country. In the south it is a dinner-plate event for two or three people, sometimes with coconut milk in the batter for extra-crisp edges. In the centre it shrinks to saucer size, denser and chewier, eaten two or three at a time with a thicker, peanut-tinged dip.
The wrapping is half the dish: tear off a piece carrying pork and prawn, wrap it in mustard leaf, lettuce or softened rice paper with herbs, dip, and eat it with your hands. That garden of leaves is not garnish - it is how the rich, crisp crepe stays bright.
Full story: Food From Northern Laos
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