Bánh xèo (crispy Vietnamese pancakes or Vietnamese sizzling crepes)

Unlike the small, deep-fried pancake of the Central Vietnam, the Southern pancake is round and its filling looks really attractive. Rice flour is spread evenly in a large pan to form the crunchy crust. The filling is diverse and flavourful from pork, river shrimp, bean sprouts, green beans, sliced cassava tubers, Sesbania sesban flowers, etc. Vietnamese pancake is delicious mostly because of its thin and crunchy crust together with the fat of coconut milk and the attractive golden turmeric powder. To be more delicious, “Bánh xèo” should be eaten with raw vegetables, mustard greens, daikon and carrot pickles; then dip into sweet-sour fish sauce, with finely chopped chilies.

Bánh khọt (Vietnamese mini savory pancakes)

Similar to “Bánh xèo” but “Bánh khọt” are richer in fat because more coconut milk is added in the cooking process. The filling of “Bánh Khọt” is simpler. It can be field shrimp or minced pork that is neatly placed inside the mini pancake. “Bánh khọt” is irresistibly mouthwatering thanks to its golden-brown crust, which is eye-catching and crispy. Vietnamese mini savory pancakes are usually eaten with herbs, lettuce and cucumber, etc. It would be best if we eat mini pancakes while they’re still hot and dip them in sweet-sour fish sauce. We can also eat “bánh khọt” with crispy carrot slices to be more flavorful.

Bánh cống (Vietnamese fried prawn cakes)

“Bánh cống” (Vietnamese fried prawn cake) is round and full of ingredients such as green beans, minced pork, cassava tubers and all the ingredients are neatly placed in a round mold with diluted rice flour inside. The highlight of this dish is the "appealing" shrimp on the top of the cake to add the fresh sweetness. The cake is deep-fried in hot oil to make a golden look. If we take a bite, we can feel the crunchiness blended with the buttery taste of the cake filling that spread throughout the mouth. “Bánh cống” can be seen as a snack when we eat it with sweet-sour fish sauce. If you want to fill your stomach, you can eat “bánh cống” with rice vermicelli, raw vegetables, cucumber and that is enough for a delicious and fragrant dish.

Bánh tằm bì (thick Vietnamese noodles in coconut milk cream)

The simple dish consists of tapioca noodles, sliced pork, shredded pork skin and herbs. The unique thing of this dish is that it is drenched in thick coconut cream dressing. The best part of the dish is the topping including roasted peanuts, crispy fried shallots, scallion oil, daikon and carrot pickles that makes the dish colorful and savory. To make the dish more delicious, we should mix it well so that each thick noodle can blend completely with coconut cream dressing. We can also eat it with spicy dipping sauce and raw vegetables. All these combinations have created an attractive taste that is hard to resist.

Bánh cuốn ngọt (Vietnamese sweet wet cakes)

This dish is also known as wet cakes, originating from Ben Tre. Its wrapper is sweet and creamy thanks to sugar and coconut milk. It is also colorful, with natural colorings from purple magenta leaves, green pandan leaves, and red beetroots. To have a better taste, we should eat these sweet wet cakes with Vietnamese Toasted Sesame and Peanut salt.

Bánh lá mơ (cake made from rice flour, Paederia foetida leaves and coconut milk)

Only from three main ingredients are rice flour, coconut milk and Paederia foetida leaves, but the people in the Western region of Vietnam have created a unique dish. The cake dough is dark green, made into a flat shape and then steamed. When eating, the cakes are drenched in thick coconut cream dressing which makes the dish more appealing and delicious. “Bánh lá mơ” is simple and rustic but unique and strange because of its chewy taste. If you enjoy the dish for the first time, the smell of Paederia foetida leaves is a little, pungent and difficult to eat. However, when you get used to this flavor, you will be attracted by the light sweetness blended with aromatic high-fat coconut milk.

Bánh ống lá dứa (Pandan tapioca tube cakes)

The tube cake has turquoise color of pandan leaves. Small crumbs of tapioca flour mixed with glutinous rice flour and shredded coconut meat at the appropriate rate. The method of making this cake is also quite strange by using only a boiler and tubular cake molds. Just pour the spongy powder into the tube with the bamboo stick placed in the middle. After a few minutes, the cake is well-cooked, hot and eye-catchingly green when being taken out. The cake is cut along its length and stuffed with shredded coconut meat, sesame salt, then curled up. It’ll be best if we eat the cake while it’s still hot. At that moment, the fatty taste of shredded coconut meat mixed with the rice flour, the sesame salt and the light aroma of pandan leaves create an unforgettable sensation.