Vietnamese Savory Mini Pancakes (Banh Khot)
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.
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, and sprinkled with minced dried salted shrimp. It’s fried on a cast iron Banh Khot or Aebleskiver pan to crispy perfection on the outside yet still fluffy on the inside.
These savory mini pancakes are served with a platter of fresh leafy greens and a small bowl of spicy and sweet dipping sauce.
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!
To get it online, the closest I can find that is made of the same quality is this one. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a lid. Boo. If you do get this pan through Amazon, just use whatever lid you currently have and hope that it fits.
How to Eat Banh Khot
Eating Banh Khot requires assembly, making it a fun social experience that is often shared with families and friends. To eat Banh Khot, stack an assortment of leafy greens and herbs in the palm of one hand, place a fried banh khot in the middle and roll everything up. Dip the rolled banh khot in the dipping sauce.
Contrastly, 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.
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.
INGREDIENTS
Batter
· 
1 cup rice flour
· 
1 tablespoon corn starch
· 
1 cup water
· 
200 mL coconut milk
· 
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
· 
½ teaspoon sea salt
Other Ingredients
· 
14 large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
· 
¼ teaspoon sea salt
· 
â…› teaspoon (pinch) ground black pepper
· 
2 green onions (thinly sliced)
· 
¼ cup dried salted shrimp (optional)
· 
Assorted greens (lettuce, perilla, sorrell, mint, etc)
· 
Vegetable or shallot oil from making fried shallots
· 
Vietnamese sweet chili dipping sauce
