Name: Bánh Cuốn (Vietnamese Steamed Rice Rolls)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: ¾ cup Rice Flour, for batter; ¼ cup Tapioca Starch, for batter elasticity; 1½ cup Water, for batter and dressing; ½ tsp Salt, divided; 1½ tbsp Cooking Oil, divided for batter and cooking; 180 g Pork Mince, fresh; ¼ cup Wood Ear Mushrooms, soaked and finely chopped; 3 Shallots, finely chopped; ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper, for filling; 2 tbsp Fish Sauce, for dressing; 1½ tbsp Sugar, for dressing; 1 Lemon, juiced; 1 clove Garlic, minced for dressing; 1 Green Chili Pepper, thinly sliced; ½ cup Cucumber, sliced for serving; ½ cup Bean Sprouts, blanched or raw as preferred

Bánh Cuốn (Vietnamese Steamed Rice Rolls)

1 hr 25 mintotal

1 hr 5 min hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 30 min · Cook 35 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Hard
Spice: Mild

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Method

Whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch, part of the salt, measured water, and a little of the measured oil into a smooth thin batter. Rest the batter.
Heat a pan with some of the measured oil. Cook the shallots until fragrant, then add pork mince and wood ear mushrooms.
Season the filling with the remaining salt and black pepper. Cook until the pork is fully cooked and no pinkness remains.
Prepare a lightly oiled nonstick pan or steaming surface over medium heat. Stir the batter before each roll.
Spread a very thin layer of batter, cover briefly, and cook until the sheet turns translucent and lifts cleanly.
Place a spoonful of filling on the cooked sheet, fold it into a loose roll, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and filling.
Mix fish sauce, sugar, lemon juice, garlic, chili, and the remaining water into a light dipping sauce.
Serve the rolls warm with cucumber, bean sprouts, and the dipping sauce.

How to tell it's done

The rolls should be soft, thin, slightly elastic, and tender, with a savory crumbly pork filling.

Getting it right

Tip

Keep the rice sheets thin; thick batter layers make bánh cuốn heavy and harder to roll.

What to serve it with

Serve immediately with the dipping sauce on the side so the delicate rolls do not become soggy.

Substitutions

Tapioca Starch is important for elasticity; using only Rice Flour will make the sheets more brittle.
Pork Mince can be replaced with Ground Chicken, but the dish will no longer have the classic pork filling profile.
Use a nonstick pan if a dedicated steaming cloth setup is not available.
Fish sauce is part of the serving sauce and must remain allergen-flagged.

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