Vietnamese Hot Dog has nothing to do with Western style hot dog. In fact they are completely two different things. These hot dogs are made with pancake-like batter with variety of fillings. You will be amazed and immediately fall head over heels for this newfound hot dog.
Vietnamese hot dog is made from light, fluffy batter that resembles pancake or sponge cake with variety of fillings. In my memory, these delicious hot dogs were filled with shredded dried meat and cream cheese cubes. Oh my, how wonderful it is just to think about this yummy street food. It’s totally off guard and has nothing to do with the name ‘hot dogs’. But hey, who cares, as long as it's tasted awesome that all it matters.
If you're looking for a good alternative to breakfast pancakes or brunch waffles, you should go no further. Your kids will love you, your family will love you, and maybe your neighbors will love you even more (if you invite them over for some delicious non-traditional hot dogs).
It was an unforgettable memory between me and these Vietnamese hot dogs. Everyday after school, my aunt picked me and my sister up. Then she usually stopped by an acquaintance street vendor to buy us a few hot dogs. Every time I bit to the very last piece of hot dog, I just wanted tomorrow come fast so I could munch on them again.
What do I need to make this street food?
Well, you can't make waffle without a waffle maker. So it is obvious you won't achieve this hot dog without a sandwich maker. Yup, you read it right: a sandwich maker. Vietnamese hot dog has a shape that looks like Western sandwich (cut in half). That being said, I was so happy that I found this Cuisinart sandwich maker. Or if you wanted something fancier, this Gotham Steel maker would be a perfect choice with just a couple of bucks more.
Important things to remember
- You must have all ingredients and equipment ready before you begin to work on the batter. This is what we call "mise-en-place" in professional kitchen. In fact, you must apply this definition on all of the recipes, not just this one alone. Have everything prepped and ready before the cooking process is what can differentiate an organized cook and a floppy cook.
- The faster you work the batter, the less volume it will lose. This will also be easier to achieve if and only if you master the point mentioned above.
- Also, while whipping the egg whites, use medium or high speed setting until the whites form medium peaks. You should avoid having them beaten to stiff peaks. Because at that point, egg whites are less elastic and more difficult to incorporate. They will break down easily and will not develop a stable texture after cooking.
What are essential ingredients for this Vietnamese hot dog?
Besides the aforementioned sandwich maker, you won't need anything else fancy in terms of ingredients. Just very basic pancake and waffle look alike stuff: unbleached all purpose flour, eggs, sugar, and unsalted butter. For the fillings you can go wild and crazy with whatever you can think of (or your refrigerator has).
Related recipes
If you're into more wonderful street food recipes, I have a few delicious ones on the blog. Like this all time famous Vietnamese street food Sauteed corn in brown butter. For more sweeter choice, this amazing and most stolen recipe on my blog Assorted beans in sweet coconut milk is your perfect pick for summer heat relief. And last but not least, the easy peasy homemade Banana coconut ice cream is what definitely you shouldn't miss.
