70 years old squid cake shop in Nha Trang

The squid pancake shop on Tran Kim Hung Street opened 70 years ago, attracting many locals and tourists to enjoy.

In the first days of the year, in the cold weather, the old banh xeo shop located on Tran Kim Hung Street (opposite Thap Ba Street) is crowded with people to enjoy squid pancakes.

Ms. Phan Thi Nhu Ha, 54 years old, the owner of the restaurant, shared that her family has been selling banh xeo for nearly 70 years, through many generations. She followed in her parents’ footsteps when she was 14 years old. According to her, this area has many banh xeo shops, but few are as old as her house. At the restaurant, guests can eat on the patio, opposite the place to pour pancakes, or indoors.

With a quick hand, the shop owner said that the crust is made from rice flour and green beans. To make the cake, rice and green beans are soaked for two hours, then ground for half an hour. She sells about 8 kg of flour every day.

“Cake dough also has many ways to create its own flavor, some people add turmeric powder to create color, or add beer to make the dough. But I like to combine it with green beans because the dough will be more fragrant,” she said. Ha said.

Next, Mrs. Ha prepares cake molds with a diameter of more than half a hand. Oil is poured into the tray and when it is hot, she adds the squid and bean sprouts, then stirs the dough and coats it very thinly all over the pan. Finally, close the lid and wait until the cake is cooked, then fold it in half, take it out on a plate.

Mrs. Ha uses rice squid (also known as egg squid), which is ordered from a fisherman early in the morning. Squid is about 7cm long, suitable for cake mold. She said that squid with eggs, when eaten, “will have a characteristic sweet, greasy taste”. To create variety for the restaurant’s menu, Mrs. Ha also makes squid ink pancakes with shrimp, pork, or quail eggs.

Whole squid, when eating squid bag, fragrant pancake powder will mix with spicy and sour fish sauce to create its own flavor. “Most customers like to eat squid pancakes, so many people are used to calling the shop squid pancakes, but actually I sell many kinds of fillings,” said Ms. Ha.

Previously, the shop was located on the sidewalk, near the fishing port, most of the diners were traders, fishermen, ship owners, and boats. Later, the marina was no longer available, so Mrs. Ha moved to rent a small house nearby about 50 m2 wide for trading.

A pancake depending on the type of squid, shrimp or egg filling costs 5,000 VND. The special type costs 10,000 VND each. “Depending on the strength of the food, each guest will order how many pancakes a portion. Billing is a bit messy, but once you do it, you will get used to it,” Ms. Ha said.

Mr. Bastien, 34 years old, a tourist from Sweden, and his wife enjoyed the first time squid pancakes. He evaluated the dish with the greasy taste of the flour, the freshness of the squid, and his taste. And his wife thinks that this food is greasy, if you eat the second one, you will be bored, even with vegetables. “On this occasion, we visit Nha Trang for 10 days, hoping to discover all the cuisine in this coastal city,” he said.