A few years ago, I was in downtown Los Angeles and landed upon a Vietnamese restaurant. Knowing absolutely nothing about the food, but liking the looks of the small, plant filled restaurant, I stopped in for lunch.
The menu was in English but might as well have been in Vietnamese as I had no idea what anything was. The kind waiter helped me out and I ordered Bahn Xeo. With the first bite, I found calm, joy and delight. Â
I studied this dish and learned to make it. I’ve been serving and eating Bahm Xeo ever since.
Little did I know that much of Vietnamese food was influenced by the French. This is very true for Bahn Xeo which starts with a type of crepe. It is filled with mung bean sprouts, pork, shrimp and handfuls for fresh herbs, wrapped in lettuce and brought together with a special dipping sauce – either house made or store bought.
There are many recipes online, I like this one: https://vietspices.blogspot.com/2015/09/banh-xeo-sizzling-savory-crepe.html. If there is a vegetable you do not like, don’t use it! I like mushrooms, just not in this dish, so I do not use them. I switch out mustard greens for large leaf lettuce.
It might take you a first try to get this right, but you will and you will be very happy. This is special!
Enjoy!
