Crepes · Sizzling Street Snack

Banh Xeo (Bánh Xèo)

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Its name literally means "sizzling cake" — a direct transcription of the hiss the rice batter makes hitting a scorching-hot pan.

Turmeric-tinted rice-flour batter is poured into a hot pan with pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and mung beans, cooked until the edges turn crackling-crisp, then folded in half. Torn apart, wrapped in lettuce and herbs, and dipped in nuoc cham at street carts.

Why it's made this way: The crepe made a convenient meal for farmers, who wrapped it in banana leaves to carry into the rice fields; as workers migrated to cities, street vendors turned it into an affordable street specialty.