Tourists try to find unique banh xeo at village market
“Banh xeo is available in many places, but this is the first time we have heard of banh xeo with whale and silver pomfret, so my whole group decided to go to this village to enjoy this unique dish,” said Nguyen Thuy Oanh (26 years old, Lam Dong).
Báo Gia Lai•26/03/2025
A series of tourists flocked to Chuon village market (Phu An commune, Phu Vang district, Hue city) to enjoy the unique banh xeo dish.
This small, shabby market has many stalls selling shrimp, egg, meat, and squid pancakes, but the most popular are the whale and silver pomfret pancakes caught from the lagoon. Photo: Thanh Hien. Ms. Kim Anh - owner of a banh xeo stall - said that she sells hundreds of cakes every day, mainly banh xeo with silver pomfret and whale fish. The big, fresh fish are bought by the restaurants without gutting them, just cleaned. The fish is fried in a pan of hot oil, when both sides are cooked, the batter is poured in. The “sizzling” sound is like the name of the cake, stimulating the hearing and taste buds of the diners. The restaurants do not pre-fry the cakes, they fry them as customers order to ensure they are hot, crispy, and delicious. However, from 3 p.m. onwards, the chefs do not stop working because customers keep coming.
The hot, freshly made cakes are brought to the table for guests to enjoy. Ms. Tran Thi Giap - owner of a cake stall in the market - said that the fish pancakes and silver pomfret fish are traditional dishes of the local people for a long time. "I have been selling here for more than 10 years. On peak days, I sell thousands of cakes. There are so many customers that two people have to make dozens of pans of cakes at a time," she said, adding that the fish pancakes are quite strange to tourists, and are even more curious because of the type of fish. This is a typical fish in Chuon lagoon or Hue in general. The fish is shaped like silver pomfret fish but has yellower skin, delicious meat, and bitter intestines. The market is crowded with people eating banh xeo. Each whale and silver pomfret pancake costs from 10,000 to 20,000 VND, served with raw vegetables and fish sauce. Mr. Mai Van Thanh (Da Nang) rated this as the best pancake he has ever eaten. "The pancake is hot and crispy, the fish is big and fresh, very sweet, eaten with spicy fish sauce, it is really delicious. Not to mention the cheap price, my family of 4 adults ate for about 300,000 VND and were full," he said.
Tourists from near and far constantly flock to Chuon Market. According to locals, previously, the whale and silver pomfret pancakes were only sold in small quantities to locals. Later, a few tourists found out about them, and they suddenly went viral. Every day, the village market welcomes hundreds, even thousands of people on holidays, who come to eat the pancakes. In addition to fish pancakes, shrimp and squid pancakes here are also attractive. The pancakes are only bigger than a bowl, with a thin, crispy fried crust. This type of pancake is only 10,000 VND/piece. The old rural market has become a destination for many tourists. The cake stalls in the market will sell until dark. Ms. Nhat Anh (Hanoi) shared that she really likes the banh xeo at Chuon market because it is so delicious and the business culture here is also very gentle, simple and enthusiastic. "If I return to Hue, I will definitely come here to eat banh xeo again," she said.
A bakery counter needs two cooks to serve enough customers.
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