Bánh Khọt

Bánh khọt is mini rice-flour and coconut-milk pancakes, cooked one at a time in the dimpled wells of a special cast pan until the edges crisp golden around a whole shrimp. It's the bite-sized coastal cousin of bánh xèo, associated with the beach town of Vũng Tàu, and the format — dozens of small individual rounds rather than one large folded crepe — is what sets it apart.

What it really is

A turmeric-tinted batter of rice flour and coconut milk, richer than bánh xèo's plainer version, ladles into the small round wells of a heavy pan built specifically for this dish, each well holding just enough batter for one bite-sized cake. A whole shrimp presses into the centre of each while the batter still sets, and the pan sits over heat until the edges crisp golden and lift cleanly, while the centre stays soft around the shrimp.

Coconut milk in the batter is what gives bánh khọt its richer flavour against bánh xèo's plainer, thinner one. Both are turmeric rice-flour pancakes with shrimp, but the coconut milk changes the whole eating experience — cutting it makes a passable substitute, not the dish itself.

How it's served

• Hot, straight from the pan, several small cakes per plate.
• Wrapped in lettuce or mustard leaf with herbs, dipped in nước chấm.
• As a street food snack or light meal, often sold from dedicated stalls in coastal towns.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the shellfish.
• Say how many pieces come per portion, since these are small, bite-sized cakes rather than one large pancake.
• Note if a vegetarian version, swapping mushroom for the shrimp, is available.