Banh xeo on a rainy day

It was raining outside again. In the cold, damp air, memories came flooding back, along with smells. It was the smell of the old kitchen, the smell of smoke and the smell of... banh xeo.

I remember my mother’s old kitchen. The small kitchen was covered in smoke, the walls were covered in soot from years of burning wood. On rainy days, when the cold seeped through every crack in the door, that was when the kitchen became the warmest place. My mother and my sisters worked hard by the charcoal stove, next to a basin of rice flour, mixed with a little turmeric powder to create a yellow color, and sprinkled with green chives. Next to it were a bunch of bean sprouts and chopped green onion heads, sometimes replaced by shredded cassava.

And then, the seductive “sizzling… sizzle…” sound rang out.

Golden, crispy pancakes are delicious on rainy days.

That was the sound of my mother scooping a spoonful of batter into a small, hot cast iron (or thick iron) mold with a piece of fatty meat or a little peanut oil or coconut oil. That “sizzling” sound, to me, was even more exciting than the sound of the rain outside.

Unlike the large, thin pancakes of the South, spread thinly in a large pan, the pancakes of the Central region are small and fit in the palm of your hand. They truly represent the meticulous, careful yet extremely rich personality of the Central people. The fish sauce must be pure fish sauce or fish sauce pounded with chili, garlic, lemon and sugar, mixed with the fragrant smell of oil that fills the space.

The rainy season also brings special products. I remember early in the morning, my father put on his conical hat and went to the garden, to the fields and the gifts he brought back were the ears of the phan mushroom (the people of the land of Nau call it phan mushroom, this mushroom only grows from the ground after the first few rains of the season, plump, sweet, crunchy) and the fragrant flowers. The day he went to the deep field, there was a bunch of fresh, snapping freshwater shrimp. Sometimes my mother went to the market and got a bunch of squid as small as a finger...

All the products of the fields, the sea, the sky and the earth on that rainy day are mixed together in the banh xeo leaves... Sometimes, the poor countryside kitchen only has banh xeo shell, only flour with oil and fat, no "fillings" or "spice", but it is still a delicious dish!

Mother skillfully covered the pot, the sizzling sound gradually faded, giving way to the fragrant aroma. My brothers and I sat around the fire, our eyes never leaving Mother’s hand. And when the first golden, crispy cake was taken out, we smacked our lips and sniffed loudly.

Banh xeo is best eaten hot. It is more enjoyable to eat it right out of the mold, while the steam is still rising, right in the kitchen.

The cold of the rain was pushed away by the warm sniffles. The whole family gathered together, eating, talking and laughing. A hot banh xeo on a rainy day not only warmed the hungry stomach, it also warmed the soul. It was a bond of love, simple yet strong.

That's what Banh Xeo was like in the past. It was a dish of waiting, of gathering around the fire.

Nowadays, banh xeo has become a popular dish. People can eat banh xeo anytime, anywhere. From street stalls to luxury restaurants, there are all kinds: Saigon banh xeo, Western banh xeo, jumping shrimp banh xeo..., the fillings are also more diverse. People make the cake with gas stoves, electric stoves, fast and convenient.

Convenience sometimes makes us nostalgic.

This afternoon, it rained again. The sisters called each other to gather in the makeshift kitchen behind the office to make pancakes, because some friends brought shrimp and squid from the sea to the mountain town. Working far away, I suddenly craved a pancake on a rainy day. I craved not only the crispy, fatty taste but also the warm atmosphere on a rainy day.

Culinary culture is not far away, it is right in the kitchen of every family. Preserving and promoting cultural identity is sometimes not a big deal. It can be as simple as on a rainy day, instead of calling to order fast food, we take the time to go into the kitchen and call the whole family or friends to gather around.

And then, the sound of "xèo... xèo..." resounds again, carrying a stream of memories, and thus, love and culture are always preserved, warm and intact, like a hot pancake on a rainy day...

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202511/banh-xeo-ngay-mua-3be17b1/