This Vietnamese street food on Buford Highway is sizzling fun

Dish of the Week: Bánh xèo at Nam Phuong
Bánh xèo, featured on the menu at Nam Phuong Buford Highway, is a popular Vietnamese street food. Angela Hansberger for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Angela Hansberger

Credit: Angela Hansberger

Bánh xèo, featured on the menu at Nam Phuong Buford Highway, is a popular Vietnamese street food. Angela Hansberger for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

If only you could hear the sounds from the kitchen before you dig into a plate of bánh xèo at Nam Phuong. The dish’s name means “sizzling cake” in Vietnamese, referring to how it sounds when the rice batter hits a hot pan with a sputter and hiss.

Similar to a cross between a crepe and an omelet, bánh xèo is a popular Vietnamese street food, with a crispy exterior and signature yellow coloring from the addition of turmeric in the batter. The plate-sized fold-over is stuffed with pieces of shrimp, minced pork and bean sprouts. It comes with a side of pickled vegetables (carrot, cucumber, daikon shreds) and a heaping stack of raw leafy vegetables and herbs (basil, mint, sawtooth coriander).

Break off a piece of the steaming golden pancake, wrap it in lettuce, and tuck in fresh herbs and ribbons of pickled vegetables. Then, dip it into the zingy, sour-sweet nuoc cham sauce for a many-textured, flavor-packed bite. It’s a great dish to share, and even the name is fun. Say “baan-say-ow,” and smile.

Nam Phuong Buford Highway. 4051 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta. 404-633-2400.

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