What is Banh Khot?
Banh Khot, or Vietnamese savory mini pancakes, is made from a batter of rice flour, corn starch, turmeric powder, water and coconut milk.
They are usually topped with shrimp, brushed with scallion oil, fried on a cast iron Banh Khot or Aebleskiver pan to crispy perfection on the outside yet fluffy on the inside.
Eating Banh Khot requires assembly, making it a fun social experience that is often shared with families and friends.
On the other hand, banh khot can be one of those foods that excuse you from having conversations and socializing altogether. You are either wrapping, dipping, or chewing, making it the perfect food for an anti-social or big introvert.
Banh Khot vs Banh Xeo
Banh Khot is very similar to Banh Xeo (Vietnamese sizzling crepes).
Both are wrapped in leafy greens and dipped in a sweet chili sauce. However, Banh Khot is much smaller and thicker than Banh Xeo. If I have to choose between the two, it’s Banh Khot. Who doesn’t love food in bite-sized form? Plus, it’s simpler with fewer ingredients and harder to mess up.
In the below recipe, I’ll show you how to make banh khot, completely from scratch.
For the batter, you will need rice flour, corn starch, turmeric, water and coconut milk.
Banh Khot vs Banh Xeo
Banh Khot is very similar to Banh Xeo (Vietnamese sizzling crepes).
Both are wrapped in leafy greens and dipped in a sweet chili sauce. However, Banh Khot is much smaller and thicker than Banh Xeo. If I have to choose between the two, it’s Banh Khot. Who doesn’t love food in bite-sized form? Plus, it’s simpler with fewer ingredients and harder to mess up.
In the below recipe, I’ll show you how to make banh khot, completely from scratch.
For the batter, you will need rice flour, corn starch, turmeric, water and coconut milk.
Banh Khot Flour Premix
There are little variations in the batter, depending on who you ask. You can save yourself some time and guesswork by buying the Banh Khot flour mix. They are sold in many Asian supermarkets alongside all the other small bags of flour mixes. These are convenient options on lazy days.
Banh Khot/Aebleskiver Pan
I’m not going to lie. It was hard to get my hands on an authentic banh khot/Aebleskiver pan. You can get them easily in Vietnam and I really wished I did when I visited.
I wasn’t able to find the pan either at my regular Vietnamese grocery store (go figure!). I finally found it in a Korean grocery store, KP International Market to be exact. It came with the lid, which is a must!
You can also get it on Amazon here.
How to Eat Banh Khot
Banh Khot is always accompanied by a large platter of leafy vegetables and herbs and a bowl of prepared fish sauce for dipping.
To eat Banh Khot, start with a large leafy vegetable, like lettuce or Cai Be Xanh (a type of Vietnamese mustard green), in the palm of your hand. This will be the main wrapper. Add Vietnamese herbs if you wish. Place a fried banh khot on top. Roll everything up tightly into a log. Dip the rolled banh khot in the dipping sauce for every bite and enjoy.
In Vietnam, you can find banh khot sold in fancy restaurants or right out on the streets on rollaway carts. For me, I prefer the latter where you sit on tiny plastic stools and eat off flimsy tables with the sound of motorbikes an inch away, threatening to end your life in a blink of an eye. Now, that is a good time, my friends.
Vietnamese Savory Mini Pancakes (Banh Khot)
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 14 banh khots 1x
Description
Banh Khot is the bite-size and simpler version of Banh Xeo. Both are wrapped in leafy greens and dipped in a sweet chili sauce. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, this is a delicious appetizer that’s not only fun to make but also fun to say. This recipe makes 14.
Ingredients
Batter
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 cup water
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Other Ingredients
- 14 large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon (pinch) ground black pepper
- 2 green onions (thinly sliced)
- Leafy lettuce and Vietnamese herbs
- Neutral oil or shallot oil
- Vietnamese sweet chili dipping sauce
Instructions
- Make the batter: Whisk together all the batter ingredients. Set it aside to “bloom” for at least 20 minutes, but the longer, the better.
- Marinate the shrimp: In a small bowl, marinate shrimp with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Fry: Heat the banh khot or aebleskiver pan on medium-high. Add a little oil to each well. Fill with batter to the rim. It’s also ok to overflow the well so it spills out. This creates additional crispy edges. Sprinkle green onions, and dried shrimp if using. Cover with a lid and cook for about 8 minutes on medium-low. Low and slow is key.
- Add shrimp: Remove the lid. Add shrimp and top each with more green onions. Drizzle more oil on top of the green onions (this makes “scallion oil”) and around each rim to crisp up the edges. Cover and cook until shrimp is cooked through (about one minute). Remove the lid and cook for about 2 more minutes to your desired crispiness.
- Repeat with remaining batter and toppings.
- Remove from pan and serve: Use a sharp metal spoon to remove the banh khot. Scrape the outside edges first. It should detach easily and scoop out. Serve with your favorite leafy greens, herbs, and sweet chili sauce.
Notes
To make it crispy, don’t be shy on the oil. Most of it is reused, as the oil doesn’t get absorbed into the pancake as much.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese
