Bánh khoái or Hue rice pancakes
By Quan New Restaurant
We have arrived in Hue, a small city in central Vietnam which has a long history as the seat of power of the emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). We are staying inside the Imperial City. It's amazing to be this close to the old walls of the emperor's citadel, and it's so easy to get to all of the main historical sites. The only problem is, it's kind of hard to find food here! Most visitors stay across the river in the new city, where most of the hotels, guesthouses, cafes, and restaurants are located. This area is more of a neighborhood, but most of the local restaurants are rarely open. Hue has many famous dishes that can only be found here in this city. We are on a street food quest! We crossed to the other side of the Perfume River to wander and search for something special to eat.
We stumbled across the Quan New Restaurant while we were wandering in the area near St. Francis Xavier Church. Even though it was only 10 in the morning, we were tired, hot, and hungry from walking around all morning. We were welcomed to the restaurant with a big smile! I had lost my hair tie, and the friendly lady who ran the restaurant hurried out to bring me a rubber band when she saw that I was struggling with my hair!
Before we arrived in Hue, I did some research and found the top dishes that we can't miss. I was so happy to see this dish on the menu! Of course I had to order it!
Bánh khoái is a Vietnamese rice pancake that is stuffed full of shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts, and then fried to a golden brown. We placed our order, then sat down with two glasses of tea while we waited. I don't mind waiting for food, because it means that it's going to be super fresh! The food was prepared fresh from the kitchen, and when it arrived, it was hot, fresh, and so beautifully-presented.
We were served a big plate of crispy bánh khoái, a stack of rice paper, a big pile of vegetables, and peanut sauce for dipping. The restaurant owner showed us how to wrap a piece of the bánh khoái and a handful of veggies in a piece of rice paper, and then roll it all up and dip it into the sauce.
This is love at first bite! As soon as I tasted the first taste, my eyes grew as big as a goose egg, and I almost screamed out loud that "THIS IS SO DELICIOUS"!
You are probably wondering what it tastes like. I will try to explain it but, as always, I encourage you to try it by yourself! This is really the best way :)
The bánh khoái that she made for us is very savory and delicious. These perfect crispy pancakes are made of flour and eggs, stuffed with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts in each pieces. Every bite has a big shrimp inside! The pancakes are deep-fried to be crispy and golden. Dipping the whole bite into the special sauce makes everything that is already so delicious, ever better! The sauce is made of peanuts, and it's sweet and salty.
All I can say is I will definitely have more of this dish while we are traveling throughout central Vietnam! This dish was one of the top things on my list of dishes that we must try while we are visiting Hue. We have tried so much amazing food in the past five weeks, but I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that this bánh khoái is my favorite dish that we have eaten so far in Vietnam!
Price : 40,000d per order (feeds two people or one really hungry person!)
Location : Quan New Restaurant
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