Vietnamese Crispy Pancake-Hue Cuisine

Introduction

Vietnamese crispy pancake – one of the delicious dishes of Hue cuisine. Besides the famous delicacies such as bloating fern-shaped cake, tapioca dumpling with pork and shrimp cake, flat steamed rice dumpling, Hue beef noodle soup, banh canh, and baby basket clams rice. Hue cuisine is also partly made up of Hue crispy pancakes.

Even so, many people have confused bánh khoái with bánh xèo (sizzling pancake). But that’s not true, Banh khoai Hue, with its own recipe, brings an unmistakable unique flavor. Moreover, Bánh Khoái (Vietnamese crispy pancake) is a deep-fried cake, shaped like a sizzling pancake. Therefore, it has a round shape and is often served with raw vegetables and a small bowl of dipping sauce.

• Perhaps you are interested in our Hue street food tour, Hue food tour- The Real Taste of Hue.

The Origin Of The Name “Bánh Khoái”

Furthermore, the name “banh khoai” comes from the way Hue people call it when cooking cakes. Specifically, the ancients recounted that Hue people often had the habit of making cakes from rice flour. They use charcoal stoves to cook this dish.

At that time, smoke rose a lot, stinging the eyes of the cook, so it was named smoke (khói). However, the pronunciation of the Hue people often deviates from the rhyme “oi” into the rhyme “oai” so it is called banh khoai as it is today.

In addition, others suppose that this type of cake is crunchy and has a very good taste, it is called bánh khoái (meaning delight).

Highlights Of The Vietnamese Crispy Pancake

Firstly, the difference between the Hue crispy pancake compared to other cakes is that when the diners have sat down at the table. The owner will begin to pour the cake into the small cast iron pan. After the oil boils, a medium layer of flour is poured into it.

When the cake is cooked, add the shrimp, meat, and eggs along with the rack to one side. When the crust is yellow and crispy, turn it upside down into a semicircle, put it on a plate, and bring it out for guests to enjoy.

Hue Crispy Pancake’s Part

Secondly, Hue crispy pancake has a small size, about 15cm, with a thickness of 2-3cm. The cake is yellow, crunchy, and neatly placed on the plate, just want to eat it right away to reduce cravings. But if it was just that, it would be very boring, so the Hue people prepared an extra plate of raw vegetables of all kinds.

From bean sprouts, lettuce, herbs, and lettuce to bananas, figs, and star fruit. When eating, just put each raw vegetable in turn in a banh khoai, dip it in the fat and aromatic Hue peanut dipping sauce, and then just want to eat forever.

Hue Peanut Dipping Sauce

Lastly, as for the dipping sauce, Banh Khoai is served with a sophisticated peanut dipping sauce. Meanwhile, for Banh Xeo, it’s simpler, it’s a small bowl of sweet and sour chili garlic fish sauce. Eating banh khoai sometimes even adds a small bowl of dipping sauce, cooked from minced pig’s liver, grated pork, sesame, etc.

As you can see, the Hue people processed the banh khoai dish according to a sophisticated and meticulous recipe. Since the cuisine of the ancient capital is inherently like that, always elaborate and finical.

Top 7 Irresistible Delicious Hue Crispy Pancake Restaurants

Each Vietnamese crispy pancake shop in Hue has its own distinctive features and its own family secret. If you have the opportunity to come to Hue, do not miss these delicious cake shops.

Hue Crispy Pancake Of Hanh Restaurant

Address: 11 Phu Duc Chinh – Hue City

Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m

Price range : 20,000 VND – 55,000 VND

When you come to Hue for the first time, if you want to eat Vietnamese crispy pancakes with Hue flavor, you must definitely go to Hanh restaurant.

The cake is quite thick and crispy. Opening the inside, you can see that the filling is countless. Including eggs, rolls, and whole shrimp, served with green vegetables, so it is not boring. Roll it all up, dipping it with a delicious sauce that is indescribable. Although the restaurant is always crowded, the service is very quick and without having to wait long.

Lac Thien Restaurant

Address: 6 Dinh Tien Hoang – Hue City

Opening hours: 8:00 a.m.-22:30 p.m

Price range : 50,000 VND-70,000 VND

Banh khoai Lac Thien restaurant has been around for more than 40 years. The banh khoai of Lac Thien restaurant impresses diners with its very delicious taste. It is due to the combination of cake flour, raw ham, bowl, egg, pork belly, and bean sprouts. The cake when brought to diners is always hot, so the bite is crispy. When served with raw vegetables of all kinds, acrid bananas, star fruit, and cucumber, it creates an explosive flavor in the mouth.

Lac Thanh Vietnamese Crispy Pancake 

Address: 10 Dinh Tien Hoang – Hue City

Opening hours: 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m

Price range: 10,000 VND – 30,000 VND

As part of the famous Thuong Tu brand chain in Hue, no one does not knows the Lac Thanh shop. The whole family has 40 years of experience in the business of selling cakes. Right next to it is Lac Thien’s Vietnamese crispy pancake restaurant, which is the original shop, but the flavors of all 3 shops are from the same recipe. In terms of quality, it depends on the perception of each person because each person likes to eat differently.

Mrs. Hoa’s Hue Crispy Pancake Restaurant

Address: 27 Mai Thuc Loan – Hue City

Opening hours: 16h00 to 21h00

Price range: 10,000 VND-30,000 VND

The cake fried with oil should be eaten with raw vegetables, finely chopped figs, and green bananas. Plus to star fruit, papaya, etc. so you will not be bored when enjoying it.

Vietnamese Crispy Pancake Restaurant Of Hong Mai

Address: 78 Dinh Tien Hoang – Hue City

Opening hours: 10:00 to 22:00

Price range :10,000 VND – 20,000 VND

The cake here is poured continuously, so it is always hot and crispy. Moreover, the cake is still full of a mound of shrimp, meat, and eggs to create a better quality cake. In particular, the dipping sauce for Banh Khoai has a rich, fatty taste that is very delicious.

Mrs. Thu Suong’s Hue Crispy Pancake Restaurant

Address: 86 Kim Long – Hue City

Opening hours: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m

Price range: 10,000 VND-20,000 VND

Dubbed as Hue crispy pancake shop with a student character, because the cake here is only about 10,000 VND- 15,000VND/piece, very cheap compared to other places. However, that does not mean that the quality of the cake is not good. On the contrary, the cake here is also considered to be crunchy. In particular, the dipping sauce is hot, and the vegetables are so many that you can eat a full meal.

Vietnamese Crispy Pancake Restaurant

Address: 305 Nguyen Trai, Tay Loc Ward, Hue City

Opening hours: 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m

Price range :10,000 VND – 30,000 VND

Shop 305 has the traditional taste of delicious cake, with a crispy golden outer layer, full of eggs, rolls, and shrimp inside. You will eat with a small bowl of dipping sauce mixed according to a special recipe. When you enjoy the cake, you will feel a rich taste, a fatty taste, and the aroma of beans. Accompany eating with lettuce, pickles, cucumbers, and figs are so great.

Vietnamese Crispy Pancake Recipe

Hue people have their own recipe for making Vietnamese crispy pancakes. The recipe is more sophisticated than in other provinces. The choice of ingredients is crucial to having a cake with a crispy, yellow outer shell and a delicious taste inside.

Processing The Rice Flour To Make The Cake

First and foremost, it is rice flour, which must be delicious rice, pureed, then mixed with water, egg yolk, and turmeric in a certain ratio. This will help the cake to have a beautiful natural yellow color, and the cake will have a very special aroma. Wait until you stir the powder is completely dissolved, and season with a little fish sauce, pepper, and scallions to create a rich flavor.

Processing The Filler Part For The Cake

Next is the filler part, a Hue crispy pancake must have enough lean pork paste, fresh shrimp, bean sprouts, and slices of fat meat. To make lean pork paste, which is pureed by a machine. Also, the shrimp must be fresh, just caught in the morning, while still jumping. After that, bring it back to be cleaned, and boiled briefly to keep the natural sweetness.

After that, just pour a layer of rice flour, wait for the cake to turn yellow, then add the fillers. Wait until the filler is cooked, the cake is yellow and crispy as desired, then pour it out on a plate. On the table are available raw vegetables of all kinds. Of course, lettuce, cilantro, cinnamon, cucumber, mustard greens, and figs are indispensable.

Last but not least, make the dipping sauce with ingredients such as pork liver, roasted peanuts, roasted sesame, and broth. All finely minced and added spices. Then, boil it until it thickens.

Hence, if you have the opportunity to travel to Hue on the last days of the year. When the weather is a bit cold, there is nothing more wonderful than sitting somewhere warm, enjoying a plate of hot Hue crispy pancakes (bánh khoái Huế). Surely it will be an unforgettable memory for every guest when visiting Hue.

In conclusion, Hoi An Private Taxi hopes that the useful information we have shared above will help you have a perfect tour of Hue. Also, you know where to eat Vietnamese crispy pancakes as well. If you would like to explore all of Hue’s must-visit places known as the UNESCO’s World Heritage in a day, you should book Hue city tour 1 day. We are absolutely sure that, you will have a great memory with us!