Banh Cuon

Bánh Cuốn (Steamed Rice Rolls with Pork and Wood-Ear Mushroom)

Steamed rice sheets rolled around a savory filling of minced pork and wood-ear mushroom, garnished with crispy fried shallots and served with nước chấm. A classic northern Vietnamese breakfast.

Prep

45 min

Cook

30 min

Total

75 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •250 g (9 oz) rice flour, regular, not glutinous
• •50 g (1¾ oz) tapioca starch, or cornstarch
• •700 ml (3 cups) water, plus about 80 ml / ⅓ cup extra as needed
• •1 tsp neutral oil, for the batter
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) fine sea salt
• •200 g (7 oz) ground pork, around 20% fat is ideal
• •15 g (½ oz) dried wood-ear mushrooms, about 3-4 medium; rehydrated
• •2 shallots (2 medium shallots) shallots, finely chopped
• •1 clove garlic, minced
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) fish sauce, for the filling
• •0.25 tsp (¼ tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil, for frying shallots; divided use
• •60 ml (¼ cup) fish sauce, for nước chấm
• •60 ml (¼ cup) lime juice, freshly squeezed, for nước chấm
• •50 g (¼ cup) sugar, for nước chấm
• •120 ml (½ cup) water, for nước chấm
• •1 clove garlic, finely minced, for nước chấm
• •1 thai chili (1 small chili) thai red chili, thinly sliced, optional, for nước chấm

Steps

1. 1 Make the nước chấm: in a small bowl, whisk 60 ml fish sauce, 60 ml lime juice, 50 g sugar and 120 ml water until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the minced garlic and sliced chili. Set aside to let the flavors meld.
2. 2 Fry the shallots: slice 2 shallots very thinly. Heat 60 ml oil in a small pan over medium heat. Fry the shallots in a single layer until pale golden, 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel. Reserve the shallot oil.
3. 3 Cook the filling: put the dried wood-ear mushrooms in a bowl, cover with hot water and soak for 20 minutes until soft; drain and finely chop. Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved shallot oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chopped raw shallot and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the pork and break it up; stir in the chopped wood-ear, ½ tsp fish sauce and black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the pork is just cooked through, about 3 minutes. The filling should still be moist, not dry. Set aside.
4. 4 Make the batter: whisk 250 g rice flour, 50 g tapioca starch, ½ tsp salt and 700 ml water in a bowl until very smooth, then stir in 1 tsp neutral oil. The consistency should be like thin cream; if too thick, whisk in extra water 1 tbsp at a time. Strain through a fine sieve to remove any lumps. Rest 15 minutes.
5. 5 Set up the steamer: bring a wide pot of water to a rolling boil with a flat steamer rack or a round cake tin or pie pan inside. Cut a piece of clean, thin cotton cloth (or a 30 cm / 12 in round of muslin) large enough to drape over your steaming pan.
6. 6 Steam the sheets: moisten the cloth, wring it well, and lay it flat over the steaming pan. Dip a ladle or small measuring cup (about 60 ml / ¼ cup) into the batter, give it a stir, then pour a thin, even layer onto the cloth. Cover and steam 60-75 seconds, until the surface looks set and slightly translucent. Lift the cloth off the pot and tip the sheet onto a clean plate or a banana leaf. Repeat, stirring the batter each time.
7. 7 Assemble: spoon about 1 tablespoon of the pork filling in a line along one side of each warm rice sheet. Roll it up snugly, then slice each roll into 2-3 short pieces. Keep covered with a damp cloth while you finish the remaining batter.
8. 8 To serve: arrange the rolls on plates, scatter generously with the crispy fried shallots and a little freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately with the nước chấm for dipping, along with fresh herbs such as cilantro and Thai basil, and sliced cucumber.
9. 9 Doneness and safety cues: the pork filling is fully cooked when there is no pink color and juices run clear; for ground pork, heat to an internal temperature of 71 °C / 160 °F. The steamed rice sheet is done when it lifts cleanly off the cloth and is flexible, not sticky. Fried shallots should be golden, not dark brown, to avoid a bitter taste.