Bánh Tôm — Hanoi Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters
This banh tom recipe makes Hanoi's shrimp fritters: shredded sweet potato folded into a light rice-flour batter, fried crisp with a whole shrimp on top of each one, and served with herbs and nuoc cham. One serving is about 235 g, three fritters.
Banh tom is Hanoi's shrimp cake, sold for generations around West Lake, where the fritters were once fried at lakeside stalls and eaten with the lake breeze. The recipe is simple and old: shredded sweet potato in a rice-flour batter, a whole shrimp pressed on top, fried until crisp, then wrapped in lettuce and herbs and dipped in nuoc cham. It is different from banh xeo, the large thin turmeric crepe of the south — banh tom are small, thick and crisp, and the shrimp sits proudly on top where you can see it.
Pairs well with: Lettuce, fresh herbs and nuoc cham dipping sauce
Provenance
Vietnam
Hanoi Street-Food Classic
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
45m
25m prep • 20m cook
Batch Yield
4 Servings
332 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 235 g
Technical Skill
Intermediate
Medium (Frying)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Inappropriate
Dinner
Inappropriate
Snack & Tea
Ideal Light Bite
Hanoi Street-Food Classic
Photo: Phương Huy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $2–3 per serving at home (USD)
A true banh tom is a small, thick fritter of shredded sweet potato with a whole shrimp on top — crisp, golden, and eaten wrapped in lettuce with nuoc cham.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Shred the Sweet Potato and Mix the Batter
25 Mins • Grating & Bowl Work
Shred the sweet potato and squeeze it dry — wet shreds make soggy fritters. Whisk the flours, turmeric, egg, fish sauce, sugar and salt with 120 ml of cold water into a thin batter, then fold in the sweet potato and spring onion. While the batter rests for 10 minutes, peel and devein the shrimp, mix the nuoc cham, and wash the lettuce and herbs.
Maestro Tip: Squeeze the shredded sweet potato in a clean tea towel until no more water comes out — dry shreds fry crisp, wet shreds steam soft.
5 Mins No heat — room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Sift the rice flour, wheat flour and turmeric into a bowl. Whisk in the egg, fish sauce, sugar, salt and 120 ml of cold water until smooth, then fold in the squeezed-dry sweet potato and the spring onion. Rest the batter 10 minutes.
A thin batter fries crisp; a thick one fries doughy. It should coat the shreds, not bury them.
Done when: The batter is smooth, golden, and clings to the sweet potato shreds.
3 Mins No heat — room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Stir the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and 30 ml of water in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the garlic and chilli, and set aside.
Taste it: it should be sweet, sour and salty all at once. Add a squeeze more lime if it tastes flat.
Done when: A clear, sweet-sour dipping sauce with garlic and chilli floating in it.
4 Mins Heat the oil to about 175°C (347°F)
Pour the oil into a deep pan or wok and heat over medium-high. It is ready when a shred of batter sizzles and rises at once. Keep a slotted spoon and a plate lined with paper towel ready.
Oil that is too cool soaks into the fritters; oil that smokes will burn the sweet potato before the shrimp cooks.
Done when: A shred of batter sizzles hard and floats up the moment it hits the oil.
5 Mins Fry at about 175°C (347°F)
Scoop a heaped tablespoon of batter into a small ladle or spoon, press a whole shrimp on top, tail pointing out, and slide it into the oil. Fry 3–4 fritters at a time for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp. The shrimp must reach 63°C (145°F) and turn fully pink.
Do not crowd the pan — the oil temperature drops and the fritters turn greasy.
Done when: Deep golden, crisp fritters with pink, curled shrimp on top.
2 Mins Rest at room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Lift the fritters out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel for 2 minutes. Fry the rest the same way.
Draining on paper towel, not a plate, keeps the bottoms crisp.
Done when: Crisp, drained fritters, still crackling faintly.
1 Min Serve hot, about 70°C (158°F)
Pile the fritters on a plate with the lettuce, mint and perilla, and put the nuoc cham in the middle. To eat, wrap a fritter in lettuce with herbs and dip it in the sauce.
Serve the fritters hot — they lose their crispness in ten minutes.
Done when: A golden pile of fritters with green herbs and a bowl of dipping sauce.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Eat them the Hanoi way: wrap each hot fritter in a lettuce leaf with a few herb leaves, dip it in the nuoc cham, and eat it in two or three bites while it is still crackling.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
332
kcal / serving
Protein
16g
Complete AA
Carbs
47g
Complex
Fats
10g
Healthy
| Energy | 332 kcal |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 47 g |
| Fat | 10 g |
| Fibre | 4.4 g |
| Sugar | 8.8 g |
| Sodium | 1173 mg |
| Energy | 141 kcal |
| Protein | 6.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 19.9 g |
| Fat | 4 g |
| Fibre | 1.9 g |
| Sugar | 3.7 g |
| Sodium | 499 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Vitamin A (sweet potato), vitamin B12 and selenium (shrimp), vitamin C (lime, chilli, herbs), vitamin K (lettuce, herbs), folate (sweet potato).
Real Protein, Real Fibre
Shrimp gives about 16 g of protein per serving and sweet potato adds about 4 g of fibre — a snack that actually fills you up.
Sweet Potato Goodness
Orange sweet potato is rich in vitamin A, and the fresh herbs and lettuce add crunch and freshness that balance the fried batter.
Fresh, Not Heavy
Wrapped in lettuce and herbs and dipped in a light, sharp sauce, these fritters eat far lighter than their golden crust suggests.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Vegetables
Lettuce and Fresh Herbs
The cool, crisp lettuce and fragrant mint and perilla are not a garnish — they are how the fritter is eaten, cutting the richness of the fry.
Sauces
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
The sweet, sour and salty sauce is the other half of the dish; without it, the fritters taste flat and oily.
Drinks
Iced Green Tea
Cold, unsweetened green tea washes down the fried fritters without adding sugar, and matches the street-stall setting.
Full Menus
Hanoi Snack Menu
Serve the banh tom with herbs and nuoc cham as a snack, followed by a bowl of pho or bun cha; finish with iced green tea.
Complete menu
Serve the banh tom as a snack with lettuce, herbs and nuoc cham, followed by a bowl of pho; finish with iced green tea.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Crowding the Pan
Too many fritters at once drops the oil temperature, so they soak up oil instead of crisping. Fry three or four at a time. This is general information, not medical advice.
Eating Them Cold and Soggy
Banh tom lose their crispness in minutes and the shrimp should be eaten hot; do not leave them sitting, and reheat them in a hot oven, never a microwave. This is general information, not medical advice.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
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Cultural Discovery
A traditional northern Vietnamese snack of raw duck blood set into a soft jelly with cooked duck meat, herbs and peanuts — described here for cultural knowledge, with a serious safety warning.
