Have you tried Phan Thiet, Da Lat, Nha Trang style egg, shrimp, squid, beef pancakes?

Banh can is a famous rustic dish in many places in Vietnam, especially in the central coastal provinces and Da Lat.

Banh can in Mui Ne (Phan Thiet) has many side dishes such as meatballs, pork skin, braised fish... - Photo: NHA XUAN

Because of their shape, people sometimes confuse banh can with banh khot - a famous dish in the coastal city of Vung Tau. However, these two dishes are completely different in both preparation and flavor.

Banh can is made from rice flour, cooked in a specialized clay oven.

Banh can is made from rice flour, cooked in a specialized clay oven - Photo: NHA XUAN

The Banh Can oven is hemispherical in shape, consisting of 3 main parts: the bottom is the charcoal oven, the top is a round tray with a size just as big as the diameter of the oven below. This round tray is designed with many small holes, each small hole fits each cake mold.

The cake mold is the size of a palm, with a cup-shaped base and a cone-shaped lid. When making the cake, people pour the batter into each mold, cover it, and wait for the cake to be “baked” in the oven.

The oven temperature causes the dough to rise, creating a texture that when cooked has a crispy outer shell, soft and spongy inside, when broken it is hot and steaming, with a fragrant smell of rice. To make the dough for banh can, people soak the rice and then grind it with water, adding cold rice to grind together to make the crust crispier.

Shrimp pancakes at a Phan Rang-style pancake shop in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: NHA XUAN

Depending on the region, banh can can be filled with quail eggs, chicken eggs, shrimp, squid or minced meat or beef.

When eating, dip the cake in the accompanying dipping sauce, which is equally diverse. Some places use fish sauce, peanut sauce, braised fish sauce, while others eat it with chili fish sauce or onion fish sauce.

Many ways to eat banh can

In Nha Trang and Phan Rang, banh can often has a variety of fillings such as eggs, shrimp, squid, minced meat, etc.; while banh can in Da Lat is loved for its fatty beef, quail eggs, etc. fillings.

Banh Can in Nha Trang - Photo: DUY KHANG

Meanwhile, people in Mui Ne - Phan Thiet often eat banh can with just flour, or add a little beaten egg to get a golden, fragrant egg filling.

In recent years, as tourism has developed, Banh Can in Mui Ne has added seafood fillings to please diners from far away.

The cake is simple like that, in return, banh can in Mui Ne - Phan Thiet is elaborate in the side dishes, with a "well-balanced" dipping sauce of meatballs, boiled pork skin, eggs, braised fish, minced mango...

Mui Ne Banh Can: when eating, pick up the Banh Can and put it straight into the dipping sauce bowl - Photo: NHA XUAN

Banh Can in Phan Rang - believed to be the birthplace of Banh Can - is not monotonous at all, with many choices of dipping sauces, such as fish sauce, peanut sauce, chili sauce and braised fish sauce. Many people often like to mix a little of each to enjoy.

Phan Rang-style banh can is served with three types of dipping sauce: chili fish sauce, peanut fish sauce and fermented fish sauce at a restaurant in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: NHA XUAN

Nha Trang and Da Lat banh can are eye-catching with their bowls of fish sauce, meatballs and scallion oil.

The time of day to eat banh can in different places is also interestingly different.

Some banh can restaurants in Nha Trang and Da Lat are open in the morning, but in Phan Thiet and Phan Rang, banh can is a dish that people usually only eat in the late afternoon.

Banh Can in Da Lat - Photo: DUY KHANG

Banh can, although a familiar dish in many places, thanks to the differences in preparation, ingredients and dipping sauce, each region brings its own version, reflecting local tastes, making this dish both familiar and full of novelty for diners.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/banh-can-trung-tom-muc-thit-bo-kieu-phan-thiet-da-lat-nha-trang-ban-da-thu-chua-2025011417383599.htm