Vietnamese recipe

Bánh Cuốn — Pork and Mushroom Rice Rolls

Name: Bánh Cuốn — Pork and Mushroom Rice Rolls
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnamese cuisine
Ingredients: 250 g bánh cuốn flour premix for pan cooking; 870 ml water: 750 ml batter, 120 ml dip; 2 g salt; 45 ml neutral oil: 15 ml batter, 15 ml filling, 15 ml brushing; 300 g ground pork; 10 g dried wood-ear mushrooms; 100 g jicama, finely diced; 80 g onion, finely diced; 50 ml fish sauce: 10 ml filling, 40 ml dip; 2 g black pepper; 25 g sugar; 35 ml lime juice; 8 g garlic, minced; 5 g red chile, minced; 30 g fried shallots; 160 g ready-to-eat chả lụa (Vietnamese steamed pork sausage), sliced; 150 g cucumber, cut into thin batons; 150 g bean sprouts; 30 g mint and cilantro

Silky rice-flour sheets are cooked in a covered skillet, filled with pork and wood ears, and rolled while warm. Fried shallots, Vietnamese steamed pork sausage, herbs, and a light fish-sauce dip finish the plate.

Vietnam

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 45 min
Total: 1 hr 25 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients

250 g
bánh cuốn flour premix for pan cooking
870 ml
water: 750 ml batter, 120 ml dip
2 g
salt
45 ml
neutral oil: 15 ml batter, 15 ml filling, 15 ml brushing
300 g
ground pork
10 g
dried wood-ear mushrooms
100 g
jicama, finely diced
80 g
onion, finely diced
50 ml
fish sauce: 10 ml filling, 40 ml dip
2 g
black pepper
25 g
sugar
35 ml
lime juice
8 g
garlic, minced
5 g
red chile, minced
30 g
fried shallots
160 g
ready-to-eat chả lụa (Vietnamese steamed pork sausage), sliced
150 g
cucumber, cut into thin batons
150 g
bean sprouts
30 g
mint and cilantro

Method

01
Hydrate the batter and mushrooms
Whisk premix with 750 ml water and salt, then 15 ml oil. Rest 30 minutes. Separately soak wood ears in warm water for 20–30 minutes; rinse, trim hard bases, and mince. Press excess liquid from jicama.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Cook a dry, loose filling
Heat 15 ml oil over medium heat. Soften onion for 3 minutes, add pork, and break it into fine crumbs for 4 minutes. Add mushrooms, jicama, 10 ml fish sauce, and pepper; cook 4–6 minutes until liquid evaporates and pork reaches 71°C.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Prepare sauce and accompaniments
Dissolve sugar in 120 ml warm water; cool and add 40 ml fish sauce, lime, garlic, and chile. Blanch sprouts in boiling water for 1 minute and drain. Keep cucumber, herbs, sliced Vietnamese steamed pork sausage, and fried shallots ready in separate dishes.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Test one thin sheet
Warm a 22–24 cm nonstick pan over medium-low for 2 minutes and brush with a trace of the reserved oil. Stir batter, pour 50–60 ml, and swirl immediately. Cover 45–60 seconds until translucent and no wet batter remains; do not brown it.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Release and fill while warm
Brush a flat plate lightly with oil. Loosen the sheet with a silicone spatula and invert the pan onto the plate. Spread about 25 g filling in a narrow line near the lower third, leaving the side edges clear.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Roll gently and repeat
Fold the lower edge over the filling, tuck in both sides, and roll into a loose cylinder using the spatula. Repeat for about 18–20 rolls, stirring the bowl each time and using only a thin oil film; reserve the fried shallots for serving.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Finish with shallots and herbs
Divide warm rolls among four plates. Add Vietnamese steamed pork sausage, sprouts, cucumber, and herbs, then scatter fried shallots over the rolls. Serve dipping sauce separately so the delicate sheets do not sit in liquid.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Check the premix is bánh cuốn flour, not bánh xèo or rice-paper sheets; different brands may need a small water adjustment after the first test.
A flexible silicone spatula is gentler on the delicate sheet than metal tongs.

Common mistakes

A visible puddle of pan oil makes holes in the sheet; wipe to a thin film.
Overfilling or waiting until the sheet is cold makes rolling harder and encourages tearing.

Substitutions

Replace jicama with the same weight of finely diced water chestnuts, well drained.
Omit Vietnamese steamed pork sausage if unavailable; increase cooked filling by a quarter for a more substantial plate.

Storage

Refrigerate rolls within 2 hours below 4°C for up to 2 days. Steam 5–8 minutes until the filling reaches 74°C. Keep shallots dry and store sauce, herbs, and sausage separately.

Cultural context

Bánh cuốn is associated with northern Vietnamese breakfasts. Traditional cooks spread batter over a cloth steamer; this covered-skillet home method keeps the characteristic thin, tender rice sheet.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Banh Cuon, Chez Y Lan, Paris 2 November 2016 001 — Photograph by Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France; CC BY 2.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Vietnamese recipes

Bánh Cuốn — Pork and Mushroom Rice Rolls

Ingredients

Method

Hydrate the batter and mushrooms

Cook a dry, loose filling

Prepare sauce and accompaniments

Test one thin sheet

Release and fill while warm

Roll gently and repeat

Finish with shallots and herbs

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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