Banh Cuon Vietnamese Steam Rice Rolls
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Ingredients
Batter
1 bag of rice flour (16 oz) 
1 bag of tapioca flour (14 oz)
1 tsp salt
3 quarts of water
Filling
1 lb ground pork
1 cup Wood Ear mushrooms (soaked and drained and chopped into small pieces)
1 medium onion
1 shallot, thinly diced
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 fresh cracked pepper
Accompaniments
Vietnamese ham, Cha Lua
Fried Shallots
Bean Sprouts (steamed-microwave covered for about a minute)
Cucumber (thinly juliened)
uoc mam cham
Cooking oil, brush, large tray
Directions
1. 
In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice and tapioca flour with water and salt. Mix well.
Steam up the beansprouts in the microwave, and slice up the cha lua, and julien the cucumbers
Then make the filling. In a pan on medium high heat, add a small bit of cooking oil and fry the shallots. When shallots begin to turn yellow, add the ground pork and onions. Stir frequently and season with fish sauce. Mixture is done when the pork is no longer pink. Drain any excess liquid/fat and season with pepper and additional fish sauce or salt to taste. Set aside.
Similar to the banh xeo (sizzling rice crepes), have everything ready to go and within reach--batter, filling, a working station (mom uses a large round aluminum tray--brushed lightly with oil), bowl of oil (any neutral oil) and a brush.
Heat up a large nonstick pan to medium high heat. Brush on a very light layer of oil and ladle on the well mixed batter and immediately tilt and swirl the pan around to evenly coat the pan. You'll have to use your judgement on the quantity according to how large your pan/ladle is. Cover for about 30 seconds and the crepe should be nearly transparent. Then invert the pan to your large aluminum work tray that has been lightly brushed with oil.
Add a small amount of filling into the center of the crepe and spread it out thinly. Then fold over the sides and place in a serving tray. You can make many banh cuon and stack them on top of one another and it won't stick due to the very lightly oiled surface that you're working on. Repeat again and again. :)
To make the banh cuon Thanh Tri, the process is exactly the same, except of the meat filling add some fried onions in the center.
Banh Cuon Thanh Tri
Serve with plenty of steamed bean sprouts and julienned cucumbers, cha lua (Vietnamese ham) andnuoc mam cham on the side. Some restaurants here in the US also add pork floss, banh tom as additional toppings. For the banh cuon Thanh Tri dipping sauce you can use the same nuoc mam cham, however, in Vietnam, it's dipped in straight up fish sauce with a wedge of lime and some chili.
Banh cuon is our favorite dish when we want to eat something light and flavorful. While the traditional method my mom uses may not be practical for all, it's a skill we admired and marveled. But try it with the nonstick pan method and enjoy this great Vietnamese delicacy!
In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice and tapioca flour with water and salt. Mix well.
Steam up the beansprouts in the microwave, and slice up the cha lua, and julien the cucumbers
Then make the filling. In a pan on medium high heat, add a small bit of cooking oil and fry the shallots. When shallots begin to turn yellow, add the ground pork and onions. Stir frequently and season with fish sauce. Mixture is done when the pork is no longer pink. Drain any excess liquid/fat and season with pepper and additional fish sauce or salt to taste. Set aside.
Similar to the banh xeo (sizzling rice crepes), have everything ready to go and within reach--batter, filling, a working station (mom uses a large round aluminum tray--brushed lightly with oil), bowl of oil (any neutral oil) and a brush.
Heat up a large nonstick pan to medium high heat. Brush on a very light layer of oil and ladle on the well mixed batter and immediately tilt and swirl the pan around to evenly coat the pan. You'll have to use your judgement on the quantity according to how large your pan/ladle is. Cover for about 30 seconds and the crepe should be nearly transparent. Then invert the pan to your large aluminum work tray that has been lightly brushed with oil.
To make the banh cuon Thanh Tri, the process is exactly the same, except of the meat filling add some fried onions in the center.
Banh Cuon Thanh Tri
Serve with plenty of steamed bean sprouts and julienned cucumbers, cha lua (Vietnamese ham) andnuoc mam cham on the side. Some restaurants here in the US also add pork floss, banh tom as additional toppings. For the banh cuon Thanh Tri dipping sauce you can use the same nuoc mam cham, however, in Vietnam, it's dipped in straight up fish sauce with a wedge of lime and some chili.
Banh cuon is our favorite dish when we want to eat something light and flavorful. While the traditional method my mom uses may not be practical for all, it's a skill we admired and marveled. But try it with the nonstick pan method and enjoy this great Vietnamese delicacy!
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