Bánh khọt (Vietnamese mini savory pancakes) is a classic dish of Southern Vietnam. These little treats boast a beautiful golden batter that’s crispy on the outside yet tender and fluffy on the inside. With the addition of mung beans and meat or seafood topping, every bite is heaven on earth!
In today’s post, I’d like to introduce you to a fail-proof recipe for bánh khọt. With just a little more than an hour of cooking, you can enjoy these iconic Vietnamese small pancakes in the comfort of your home!
Bánh Khọt – Mini Savory Pancakes From Southern Vietnam
Bánh khọt is a delicacy of Vung Tau, a coastal province in the Southern part of Vietnam. Despite being a Southern Vietnam classic, many food lovers believe that bánh khọt is inspired by bánh căn, a specialty of central Vietnam, due to the resemblance in their shapes.
The locals often top these pancakes with seafood, such as prawns or squid, ground pork, and mung beans. They also enjoy bánh khọt with sweet, savory, and spicy dipping sauce and an array of fresh herbs.
You might find this delight somewhat similar to bánh xèo, another popular Vietnamese fried pancake. In fact, the batters for these two delicacies are almost identical. However, while bánh khọt takes the shape of small pancakes, bánh xèo is bigger and often folded in half.
Which Cooking Equipment to Make Bánh Khọt?
Besides some basic kitchen tools, a bánh khọt pan is a must-have for making this recipe. Fortunately, you can find it quite easily on online shopping sites.
What Are the Ingredients For Bánh Khọt?
I’ll separate these ingredients into 3 groups: for the batter, for the topping, and for serving.
For the Batter
For the Topping
For Serving
How To Make Bánh Khọt?
Without further ado, I’ll share with you my favorite bánh khọt recipe with 8 straightforward steps.
Step 1: Prepare The Ingredients
Remove the prawns’ heads, peel their shells, and devein them. Cut the prawns into bite-sized pieces. If the prawns are on the smaller side, you can leave them uncut.
Likewise, chop the squid into bite-sized pieces.
Finely chop the scallions. Mince the shallots, chili pepper, and garlic.
Julienne the carrots.
Put the carrot slices in a bowl, then add a little sugar and toss well. Doing this will increase their crispness.
Step 2: Make The Batter
Add these components to a large mixing bowl and stir well.
Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the batter and let it rest for about 60 minutes.
Step 3: Stir-Fry The Prawns, Squid, And Ground Pork
Place the pan on the stovetop and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Fry the minced shallots until fragrant, then stir in the prawns and stir-fry them over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
Do the same thing with the squid.
Likewise, stir-fry the minced pork in the same manner, and season it with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Step 4: Cook The Mung Beans
Put the mung beans into the prepared pot and cook them on medium heat for about 20 minutes
Step 5: Cook The Coconut Milk
Pour 10 ounces of coconut milk into another pot. Simmer on low heat until the coconut milk is slightly hot and thickens. Add a little salt and turn off the heat. The coconut milk will turn solid when it’s cool.
Step 6: Make The Dip
Pour 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and about 7 tablespoons of warm water into a bowl. Stir well to combine.
Add the minced chili pepper and garlic to the dip and give it a good stir. Then, add the marinated carrot slices.
Step 7: Cook The Pancake
Heat the pan on high heat. Then, lower the heat and add a little cooking oil to each slot.
Once the oil is heated, pour the batter into the pan, filling about ⅓ of the slots’ capacity.
When the batter at the edge of the pancakes is cooked, drizzle a little oil on the rim and add more batter. The extra oil will create a crispier pancakes.
Add a dollop of coconut milk to the pancakes when the second layer of batter is cooked.
Top each pancake with seafood or pork as you prefer. Then, sprinkle the scallions over them.
Cook your pancakes on low heat until the bottom turns golden. Remove them from the pan using a spoon.
Repeat until you use up the prepared batter and topping.
Step 8: Enjoy Your Bánh Khọt
Arrange your pancakes on a plate together with fresh lettuce, fish mint, peppermint, Thai basil, etc., and a bowl of dipping sauce. You can enjoy this delicacy by rolling it in rice paper or eating it directly with herbs.
Further Useful Tips for Bánh Khọt
Don’t forget to check out the following tips for alternatives and an easy way to turn bánh khọt into a vegetarian-friendly recipe.
Savory Bánh Khọt Have Never Tasted This Good!
Vietnamese mini savory pancakes are what many people consider to be a perfect cousin to bánh xèo. These are super easy to whip up, making them a great choice when you want to treat your family to a delicious Vietnamese recipe without putting in too much effort.
If you have a thing for Asian dishes, you shouldn’t miss out on these small pancakes. Give them a try, and share your experience with me in the comment section below. If you enjoy this post, don’t hesitate to share it around! Goodbye, and see you soon with more tasty recipes.
Bánh Khọt Recipe (Vietnamese Mini Savory Pancakes)
Equipment
- Bánh Khọt Pan
- Pot
- Pan
- Ladle
- Measuring Cup
- Tongs
- Mixing Bowl
- Knife
- Chopping Board
Ingredients
- 10.5 ounces rice flour
- 0.35 ounces turmeric powder
- 10 fluid ounces coconut milk, divided
- 6.8 fluid ounces water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6.8 fluid ounces soy milk
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
For the topping
- 3.5 ounces mung beans
- 10.5 ounces prawns
- 8.8 ounces squid
- 7 ounces ground pork
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 0.5 teaspoon sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons pepper
- Scallions
For serving
- Fresh herbs: Lettuce, fish mint, peppermint, beefsteak plant, Thai basil
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3.4 fluid ounces warm water
- 0.7 ounces carrot
- Garlic
- Chili pepper
Instructions
- Remove the prawns' heads, peel their shells, and devein them. Cut the prawns into bite-sized pieces. Chop the squid into bite-sized pieces.
- Finely chop the scallions. Mince the shallots, chili pepper, and garlic.
- Julienne the carrots.
- Put the carrot slices in a bowl, then add a little sugar and toss well. Doing this will increase their crispness.
- Add the rice flour, turmeric powder, soy milk, coconut milk, water, and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir well.
- Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the batter and let it rest for about 60 minutes.
- Place the pan on the stovetop and add a little cooking oil. Fry the minced shallots until fragrant, then stir in the prawns and stir-fry them over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Do the same thing with the squid.
- Likewise, stir-fry the minced pork in the same manner, and season with salt, pepper, and sugar.
- Put the mung beans into the prepared pot and cook them on medium heat for about 20 minutes
- Pour fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and warm water into a bowl. Stir well to combine.Add the minced chili pepper and garlic to the dip and give it a good stir. Then, add the marinated carrot slices.
- Heat the pan on high heat. Then, lower the heat and add a little cooking oil to each slot. Once the oil is heated, pour the batter into the pan, filling about ⅓ of the slots' capacity.
- When the batter at the edge of the pancakes is cooked, drizzle a little oil on the rim and add more batter. Add a dollop of coconut milk to the pancakes when the second layer of batter is cooked.
- Top each pancake with seafood or pork as you prefer. Then, sprinkle the scallions over them.
- Cook your food on low heat until the bottom turns golden. Remove the pancakes from the pan using a spoon.
- Repeat until you use up the prepared batter and topping.
- Enjoy with fresh herbs, rice paper, and the dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
- The total time is for making 6 servings.
- You can blend cold rice with a little water and use this mixture to replace soy milk.
- Feel free to customize the topping to your liking. Besides seafood and pork, egg quails are also ideal.
- If you want to go vegetarian, try making the topping with mung beans and finely chopped mushrooms.
- To save time, you can also use pre-made bánh khọt or bánh xèo flour.
Nutrition
Tien – Alden
Content Writer
Expertise
Home Cooking, Recipe Development, Food Editor, Beverage Editor, Cooking-video Maker, Asian Food Content Creator
Education
Saigon Tourism College
Advanced Culinary Workshop, Beijing
Vietnamese Traditional Cooking School
American College of Vietnam
Alden is a skilled chef with expertise in Asian cuisines, known for blending traditional Vietnamese and Chinese cooking with contemporary innovations. Alden’s passion for Asian flavors and her creative approach to both food and beverages inspires fellow chefs and those aspiring to enter the field.