Chad Kubanoff watched in awe as a street vendor pressed two blazing hot cast iron plates together over a gas stove.

In just 15 to 20 seconds, a sizzling, fragrant Hue specialty appeared before him - the Vietnamese "banh ep".

Banh ep is a Hue specialty with prices ranging from $0.12 to $0.20 per piece. Photo: Banh Ep Hue

Kubanoff, 38, is an American chef living in Ho Chi Minh City with his Vietnamese wife and children. He runs a YouTube channel with over 135,000 subscribers, regularly posting videos about Vietnamese street food.

Recently, Chad took his son and friend Michael to a small restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City specializing in Hue delicacies. Though he had passed by the shop before, this was his first time stopping in for a bite.

Looking over the menu, Chad spotted several unfamiliar dishes: banh ep trung (egg-pressed cakes), banh ep tom thit (shrimp and pork), banh ep bo kho (dried beef), and hot vit lon om bau (balut simmered with bottle gourd). He also ordered fried tapioca dumplings (banh loc chien), mixed tre (fermented pork), and steamed snail sausage (cha oc hap).

He explained to his friend that banh ep is a specialty of Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam located in the central region.

The dish also has a dry version.

“Dry banh ep looks a bit like grilled rice paper. I’ll take some home – my wife will definitely love it,” Chad said.

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Modern versions of banh ep use diverse fillings to cater to more tastes. Photo: Banh Ep Gia Di

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To get crispy edges and soft centers, the chef must skillfully manage the flame. Photo: Chad Kubanoff

Banh ep is a well-loved Hue street food, available in both dry (packaged, perfect as souvenirs) and wet versions (served hot on the spot).

It's made from simple ingredients such as tapioca flour, eggs, and scallions. Over time, the recipe has evolved to include pork, shrimp, pâté, and sausages.

In some places, the chef rolls the dough into small balls, adds a bit of meat and scallions on top, then presses the mixture between two oiled cast iron plates over open flame.

After 10 seconds, the plates are opened, a raw quail egg or beaten chicken egg is added, and the cake is pressed again, flipped evenly to cook both sides to a golden crisp.

In the shop Chad visited, the chef used a thin batter rather than solid dough. Ingredients like egg, shrimp, and pork were added according to each customer’s order.

To get the perfect cake with crispy edges and a soft, chewy center, the chef had to control the heat carefully and flip the plates with precision.

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Hot banh ep served with herbs, pickled papaya, and carrot. Photo: Chad Kubanoff

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Chad Kubanoff enjoys the dish with clear delight. Photo: Chad Kubanoff

The dish was served piping hot, accompanied by a platter of fresh herbs: lettuce, Vietnamese coriander (rau ram), pickled green papaya, and carrots.

Diners roll the cake with the vegetables, dip it in a fermented anchovy sauce (mam nem) or a sweet-sour-spicy fish sauce.

Chad, his son, and his friend all opted for mam nem, with Chad expertly adding chilies and garlic for an extra kick.

He nodded in approval, praising the cake’s balance of crunch and chew, enhanced by the fresh greens and pickles. He was particularly impressed that such a flavorful dish could be made in under 20 seconds.

Michael noted that banh ep reminded him of tortillas – flatbreads made from corn or wheat flour popular in Mexico and Latin America.

Each plate of four banh ep costs between 20,000 and 36,000 VND (approximately $0.80 to $1.45), depending on the ingredients.

Chad also tried hot vit lon om bau (balut stewed with bottle gourd) – a dish he had never encountered before – but admitted he still preferred the classic boiled version.

Trong Nghia