Ingredients
Batter
- 200 grice flour
- 60 gtapioca starch
- 1 tspsalt
- 700 mlwater
- 1 tbspoil
Filling
- 300 gminced pork
- 30 gdried wood ear mushrooms, soaked and chopped
- 3shallots, finely chopped
- 2 tbspfish sauce
- 1 tspblack pepper
- 1 tbspoil
To serve
- cha lua, Vietnamese pork sausage, sliced
- fried shallots
- beansprouts, blanched
- cucumber
- coriander and Vietnamese mint
Nuoc cham
- 4 tbspfish sauce
- 3 tbspsugar
- 6 tbspwarm water
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 clovesgarlic
- 2chillies
- a few drops of ca cuong, if you have it
To serve
- warm, for breakfast
Directions
- Whisk the batter smooth and let it rest for at least two hours, and overnight is better. Soak the wood ear mushrooms in hot water for thirty minutes until soft and pliable.
- Trim the hard base and chop it finely. Fry the shallots, then the pork, breaking it up well. Add the wood ear, fish sauce and plenty of black pepper. Cook it until completely dry, since a wet filling tears the delicate wrapper.
- Let it cool before you start rolling. Now the pan, which must be non-stick. Use a wide non-stick pan and heat it over a medium heat. Keep the heat moderate rather than high, since a hot pan sets the batter before it can spread thin. Stir the batter, pour in a small ladleful, and immediately swirl the pan to coat the base in a very thin layer.
- Swirl it fast, within a second or two, since the batter starts setting on contact. Pour off any excess back into the bowl if you have used too much. Put the lid on and cook for about forty-five seconds to a minute. The sheet is ready when it has turned from opaque white to translucent and the surface looks glossy and set.
- Work carefully and slowly, since the sheet tears very easily at this stage. Oil the surface you lay it on, or it will stick and be impossible to lift again. Put a spoonful of filling along one edge and roll it up loosely.
- Roll it loosely rather than tightly, since a tight roll splits the thin wrapper. Set the rolls seam side down on a plate. Now the nuoc cham, which every plate needs.
- Taste it: it should be sweet, sour and salty in balance and mild enough to pour generously over the rolls. Serve them warm with sliced cha lua, blanched beansprouts, cucumber and herbs. Scatter fried shallots over generously, which is essential rather than decorative. They are eaten warm rather than hot, and they are breakfast food above all.
Technique
- Street cooks steam the sheets on cloth; a non-stick pan is the domestic method.
- Tapioca starch gives the elasticity that stops the sheet tearing.
- Stir the batter before every sheet, since the starch settles fast.
Substitutions
- A non-stick pan in place of a cloth-covered steamer.
- Shiitake in place of wood ear, though the texture differs.
Variations
- Banh cuon chay, made vegetarian with mushroom and tofu.
- Banh cuon trung, with an egg cracked onto the sheet.
- Served plain without filling, as banh uot.
History
Rice batter poured thin onto cloth stretched over boiling water, steamed into sheets and rolled around pork and wood-ear mushroom.
Frequently asked questions
What is Banh Cuon?
Banh Cuon is a breakfast from Vietnam: gossamer steamed rice sheets rolled around minced pork and wood-ear. Rice batter poured thin onto cloth stretched over boiling water, steamed into sheets and rolled around pork and wood-ear mushroom.
How long does Banh Cuon take to make?
Banh Cuon takes 40 min plus 2 hr resting of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Banh Cuon?
Yes, within limits. A non-stick pan in place of a cloth-covered steamer. Shiitake in place of wood ear, though the texture differs.
What is the most important thing to get right in Banh Cuon?
Let it cool before you start rolling. Now the pan, which must be non-stick. Use a wide non-stick pan and heat it over a medium heat. Keep the heat moderate rather than high, since a hot pan sets the batter before it can spread thin. Stir the batter, pour in a small ladleful, and immediately swirl the pan to coat the base in a very thin layer.
