Bap Xao, Vietnamese Street Corn
Bap xao is sold from bicycle carts across Vietnam, scooped hot into a paper cup and eaten with a small spoon on the walk home. The cart version leans on butter, scallion oil, and dried shrimp for its savory weight, and this one gets there instead by charring the corn hard in a dry pan so its own sugars brown. Rau ram and lime keep it bright, and a fistful of peanuts adds the crunch. Fresh corn cut off the cob is ideal in summer, but frozen corn, patted dry, chars just as well the rest of the year.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Frozen corn, thawed and patted dry
- 4 Scallions, whites and greens separated, sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Thai bird chile, minced
- 3 tbsp Vietnamese coriander, chopped
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- 3 tbsp Peanuts, toasted and crushed
Method
- Get a wide pan very hot and add the dry corn in one layer. Leave it alone for a couple of minutes at a time, tossing only occasionally, until brown blistered spots appear. Drying the corn first matters, since wet kernels steam instead of char, and it is the char that gives the roasted, almost buttery depth the street version gets from butter and dried shrimp.
- Push the corn to one side. Add the scallion whites, garlic, and chile with a tablespoon of water and sweat 1 minute, until fragrant, then toss them through the corn.
- Off the heat, add the lime juice, scallion greens, and rau ram. Rau ram, Vietnamese coriander, is sharper and more peppery than cilantro and is what makes the cup taste Vietnamese rather than generic.
- Spoon into cups or bowls and top with the crushed peanuts. Add them at the end so they stay crisp against the soft corn.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 185 calories, 6 g protein, 6 g fiber, 15 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
