Vietnamese Steamed Rice Rolls (Banh Cuon)
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Vietnamese Steamed Rice Rolls (Bánh Cuốn) with fried shallots, Vietnamese sausage (Chả Lụa), cucumbers, lettuce, mint, blanched mung bean sprouts and sweet chili dipping sauce.
What is Bánh Cuốn?
Vietnamese steamed rice rolls, also known as Bánh Cuốn, are thin sheets of steamed rice batter filled with a savory mixture of ground pork, garlic, onions, and minced woodear mushrooms. These rice rolls are garnished with julienned cucumbers, chopped lettuce, blanched bean sprouts, and thinly sliced Vietnamese ham (Chả Lụa), along with a sprinkle of crispy fried shallots. The dish comes with a Vietnamese fish sauce dipping sauce (Nước Chấm) that brings everything together. It is served on the side, allowing you to add as much or as little as you like.
This popular Vietnamese dish can be served as a breakfast dish, a light lunch, or a snack.
How is Bánh Cuốn Made
Bánh Cuốn is traditionally made by pouring a thin layer of rice batter onto a cloth stretched over a pot of boiling water. It is covered with a lid then steamed. Once set, it's skillfully lifted off the steamer with a wooden stick. The filling is added, then rolled up and served with various garnishes and dipping sauce. See video below on the how the professionals make it in Vietnam.
In recent years, some adaptations have been made to the traditional method of making Bánh Cuốn. One of the most popular adaptations is using a frying pan. The use of a good nonstick frying pan offers a convenient and accessible way for people to enjoy this delicious dish at home without the need for another large kitchen item. And having two great nonstick pans really speeds up the process. You can assemble one while the other is cooking.
What You Will Need
To make Bánh Cuốn at home, you will need the following ingredients:
Rice flour — This is the main ingredient used to make the steamed rice sheets that wrap around the filling. Make sure you are using regular rice flour and not glutinous rice flour. Regular rice flour will be labeled as rice flour.
Potato starch or tapioca starch — This starch is needed to make the batter soft and delicate.
Water — Used to mix with the rice flour and starch to make the batter.
Use a store-bought flour premix or make your own. Instructions for both are included in the below recipe.
Store-Bought Premixes — If you don’t want to make the flour mixture yourself, luckily there are many premixes available in Vietnamese grocery stores that work well. My go-to brand is the Three Elephants brand which features a very plain, clear bag. It’s hard to find sometimes. Kim Tu Thap (Pyraminde brand pictured above) is another brand that I use that is more readily available.
Filling ingredients — Typically ground pork, garlic, onions, and minced woodear mushrooms are used. These ingredients are cooked and seasoned with bouillon powder, salt, a bit of sugar, and ground black pepper.
Cooked ground pork and woodear mushroom mixture and blanched mung bean sprouts
Bean sprouts — These are blanched or steamed. A-must for Bánh Cuốn.
Cucumber — Use English or Persian cucumbers for the best taste. No need for peeling. Cut into thin matchsticks.
Lettuce — Leafy lettuce is best but iceberg lettuce is fine too. Chop into strips.
Neutral oil — You will need a neutral oil to grease the skillet to ensure the batter doesn’t stick. You can use either canola or vegetable oil. The absolute best oil to use in this recipe is the reserved oil from making fried shallots.
Vietnamese Ham (Chả Lụa)
Vietnamese Ham (Chả Lụa) — I always get this at the grocery store or my favorite Vietnamese deli. It’s one of those items that is best leaving to the professionals rather than making at home. Thinly slice into wedges or thick matchsticks.
Fried shallots — Another must for Bánh Cuốn. Many grocery stores sell fried shallots but the best ones are homemade. Plus, you can reserve the oil, also known as shallot oil, to brush the rice rolls for a beautiful finish and aroma.
Dipping Sauce (Nước Chấm) — Vietnam’s mother sauce that has the perfect blend of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors to complete the dish. To go without is a big no-no.
A good nonstick pan — Of course, you will need a good non-stick 10” pan with a lid. Two pans would be ideal to speed up the cooking.
Cut the Bánh Cuốn into smaller pieces for easy eating.
How to Make It
Step 1 — Make the batter by either making it from scratch or using a store-bought premix. Set it aside to bloom which allows the flour to fully expand and create that perfect rice sheet.
Step 2 Prepare the filling by pan-frying onions, garlic, ground pork, and woodear mushrooms in a skillet.
Step 3 — Prepare the vegetables, garnishes, and dipping sauce.
Step 4 — Cook the batter by pouring a small amount into a well-oiled skillet, covering it, and letting it set. This step takes time and patience.
Step 5 — Assemble the rolls by adding the fillings and rolling up the rice sheets. Serve with bean sprouts, cucumbers, lettuce, Vietnamese ham, crispy fried shallots, and dipping sauce on the side.
Use a good non-stick skillet to cook a thin sheet of batter. This skillet was sticking a bit so I just assembled everything in the pan. No biggie.
Then gently slide it off the skillet and onto a serving platter.
Bánh Cuốn with Vietnamese ham, blanched mung bean sprouts, fried shallots, mint, cucumber, lettuce and dipping sauce
Related Posts
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Vietnamese Pyramid Dumplings (Banh Gio)
Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Pork & Shrimp (Goi Cuon)
Vietnamese savory mini pancakes (Banh Khot)
Vietnamese Sizzling Crepe / Pancake (Banh Xeo)
Vietnamese Steamed Savory Rice Cakes with Mung Bean Paste & Dried Shrimp (Banh Beo)
Vietnamese Steamed Rice Rolls (Bánh Cuốn)
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, soak dried woodear mushrooms in warm water until soft (about 30 minutes). Drain and rinse well. Squeeze out excess water then chop finely.
- Transfer the mushroom to a large bowl. To the same bowl, add ground pork, bouillon powder, salt, sugar, and ground black pepper. Mix until combined.
- Heat up vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion. Saute until fragrant (about one minute). Add the ground pork and mushroom mixture. Use a wooden spoon to break up any chunks of ground pork. Continue cooking until the pork is cooked through (about 5-8 minutes).
- For the batter, add all the ingredients for the batter to a medium bowl and stir until dissolved. Set aside to bloom for at least 30 minutes.
- You will need a 10-inch nonstick skillet with a lid to make the steamed rice rolls. Start by greasing the skillet with vegetable or shallot oil. I like to use a paper towel to rub the oil into the non-stick skillet until none is visible. Heat on medium-high. Pour a small amount of batter (about ⅓ cup) and immediately lift the pan and swirl the batter around until it covers the bottom of the skillet. You want the batter to be as thin as possible. Cover the pan with a lid and let it steam for about 30 seconds.
- Remove lid. Add a thin layer of the pork mixture to toward one end of the rice sheet and roll it up using a spatula. Alternatively, if the rice sheet slides off easily, completely flip it onto an oiled sheet pan and make the rolls off the stovetop.
- Repeat the process until all the batter and filling are gone.
- Serve the rice rolls with lettuce, bean sprouts, and cucumbers. Top with fried shallots, Vietnamese ham, and serve the sauce on the side. To eat, drizzle the sauce on top, give it a good mix and enjoy.
Notes
You can also replace ½ cup tapioca starch with the same amount of potato starch.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
719Fat
25 gSat. Fat
6 gCarbs
102 gFiber
3 gNet carbs
99 gSugar
2 gProtein
21 gSodium
766 mgCholesterol
43 mgThe values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.
