Bánh cuốn is one of my favorite comfort foods, and one of the great Vietnamese street foods.
Traditionally made by steaming thin sheets of rice batter one at a time, it is both artisanal and laborious. The final dish feels delicate and effortless. The process is anything but.
That is why I wanted to share my frying pan version. Not as a replacement for the traditional method, but as a more accessible way to make a dish I crave often. The technique changes. The comfort does not.
Light in structure, but never slight. Soft, savory, and deeply specific in the way only real comfort food can be. That is bánh cuốn.
This is the Hà Nội version, the more delicate of the two. For the chewier, heartier southern style, see bánh cuốn sài gòn.
Bánh cuốn Hà Nội, frying pan method
Prep 30 mins · Cook 1 to 1 1/2 hrs · Total 4 to 5 hrs (incl. 2 hrs batter rest) · Servings 4 to 6 · Difficulty Advanced
For about 20 to 24 rolls, finished weight 28 to 32 g per roll
Batter
16 oz (450 g) Erawan blue label rice flour
3 1/2 oz (100 g) Erawan tapioca starch
1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
7 to 7 1/2 cups cold water
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
Filling
1 lb ground pork, 80/20 lean to fat
1 cup wood ear mushrooms, soaked 20 to 30 minutes in cold water, drained, squeezed dry, finely chopped
2 tbsp dried shrimp, small grade, rinsed, soaked 15 minutes in warm water, drained, squeezed dry, finely chopped
4 medium shallots (about 4 oz total), finely diced
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce, Red Boat 40°N or Megachef premium
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp lard or rendered pork fat
1 tsp shallot oil
Nước chấm
1/4 cup fish sauce, Red Boat 40°N or Megachef premium
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 tbsp fresh-squeezed Persian lime juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 bird's eye chili, thinly sliced, optional
Accompaniments
6 to 8 oz fresh chả lụa from the refrigerator section, sliced (avoid shelf-stable)
2 tbsp fried shallots, golden not browned
2 cups bean sprouts, lightly steamed or microwaved covered for about 1 minute
1 small Persian cucumber, thinly julienned
A small handful of mint or cilantro, optional and light
Make the batter
Whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch, and salt in a large bowl until uniform.
Pour in 7 cups cold water gradually while whisking until smooth, no lumps. Cold water beats warm here, the starch hydrates without clumping.
Stir in the grapeseed oil.
Cover and rest in the fridge at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. The rest is the single biggest texture jump.
After resting, strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
Check consistency. The batter should look thin and fluid like heavy cream, not pancake-thick. Add up to 1/2 cup more cold water as needed.
Stir thoroughly before cooking and again before every sheet, the starch settles.
Fry the shallots if homemade
Thinly slice 4 medium shallots and fry in 1/2 cup grapeseed oil over medium heat, stirring often, until golden brown, 8 to 12 minutes.
Lift the shallots out with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Reserve both the fried shallots and the shallot oil. They keep 1 week refrigerated.
Make the filling
Heat the lard or rendered pork fat in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.
Add the diced shallots and cook 2 to 3 minutes until softened and lightly golden at the edges.
Add the pork and cook, breaking it up finely with the spatula edge until no large clumps remain.
Add the wood ear, dried shrimp, fish sauce, sugar, and white pepper. Cook 4 to 6 minutes until fully cooked and dry, no liquid pooling in the pan.
Off heat, stir in the shallot oil and let cool slightly. The filling holds 2 days refrigerated.
Make the nước chấm
Stir the fish sauce, sugar, warm water, and lime juice together until the sugar fully dissolves.
Add the garlic and the chili if using.
Set aside. Improves after 30 minutes as the garlic softens.
Prepare the accompaniments
Slice the chả lụa into 1/4-inch coins.
Lightly steam the bean sprouts.
Julienne the cucumber.
Wash and dry the herbs if using.
Cook the sheets
Heat a 10-inch nonstick frying pan over medium to medium-low until water flicked on the surface dances and evaporates within 2 to 3 seconds. The temperature window is narrower than instinct, too hot browns the sheet, too cool leaves it gummy.
Brush the pan lightly with grapeseed oil using a folded paper towel. You only need to re-oil every 2 to 3 sheets on a good nonstick.
Stir the batter, pour in a scant 1/4 cup, swirl immediately by tilting the pan into a thin even sheet about 8 inches across.
Cover with the lid and cook 45 to 60 seconds until the sheet turns fully translucent and the surface looks set, not wet. Do not let it brown.
Lift and roll
Lightly oil a metal sheet pan or marble slab with shallot oil.
Slide the sheet onto the surface using an oiled offset silicone spatula or pastry scraper.
Spread 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp filling in a line across one edge, not a clump, leaving a 1/2-inch border at each end.
Roll gently and evenly into a cigar about 4 inches long.
Stack the finished rolls in a single layer, brushing each with a little shallot oil to prevent sticking. Do not stack hot, the steam goes back into the sheet and turns it gummy. Let each cool 30 seconds before stacking.
Repeat with the remaining batter.
Finish and serve
Arrange the bánh cuốn on a serving platter.
Top with fried shallots and a small dust of freshly ground white pepper.
Serve with sliced chả lụa, bean sprouts, cucumber, herbs if using, and nước chấm on the side.
Notes
Overnight batter rest
The single biggest texture jump. The starch hydrates fully and the protein in the rice flour relaxes. 2 hours is the floor. Overnight is the move.
Strain after resting
Lumps ruin thin sheets. A medium-mesh sieve catches the small ones and lets the batter through clean.
Shallot only, no onion
Onion releases water and the dish goes soft. Hà Nội filling is shallot-only by tradition and by texture.
Rinse dried shrimp before soaking
They carry dust and excess salt from drying. Rinse in cold water, then soak in warm water to plump.
Pan oiled too often
Greasy sheets will not roll. Once every 2 to 3 sheets is plenty on a good nonstick.
Lift sheets with an oiled tool
Never bare hands, the sheet tears. Oiled offset silicone spatula or pastry scraper is the right tool.
Filling in a line, not a clump
Even rolls require even filling distribution. A clump pushes the sheet out of round.
Cool 30 seconds before stacking
Hot rolls steam each other and the sheet turns gummy. A short rest preserves the delicate texture.
Cà cuống
The Hà Nội water bug essence is the traditional finishing drop in the dipping sauce. Nearly impossible to source in the US, worth knowing exists. A drop the size of a pinhead per bowl, no more.
Good fresh chả lụa
From the refrigerator section, not shelf-stable. The accompaniment is half the dish. Look for a label that lists pork, fish sauce, and pepper as the only ingredients.
Make-ahead
Filling holds 2 days refrigerated. Batter holds 24 hours after the rest, stir hard before using. Finished rolls do not hold, eat within an hour of rolling.
