Bánh cuốn
Hanoi's steamed rice rolls: rice batter sheets thin enough to see through, rolled around minced pork and wood ear mushroom, topped with fried shallots and dipped in nước chấm.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
- Rest
- 1 hr
- Total
- 2 hr 30 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Mild
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Bánh cuốn are rice-flour sheets so thin they are almost transparent, rolled around a little minced pork, wood ear mushroom and shallot. In Hanoi they are made over a pot of boiling water covered with tightly stretched cloth: a ladle of batter is spread on the cloth, covered for a few seconds, and lifted off with a flat bamboo stick. At home a non-stick pan with a lid does the same job. The batter is rice flour with some tapioca starch for stretch, rested, and stirred before each sheet. Serve the rolls warm, scattered with fried shallots and herbs, with a bowl of thin, sweet-sour nước chấm.
What you'll need
24 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Batter
- Filling
- To serve
- Nước chấm
Ingredients
Batter
- Rice flour, plain, not glutinous200 g
- Tapioca, tapioca starch30 g
- Water600 ml
- Salt2½ ml
- Neutral oil, plus a little for the pan15 ml
Filling
- Pork, minced250 g
- Mushrooms, dried wood ear, soaked 30 minutes and finely chopped10 g
- Shallot, finely chopped2
- Fish sauce15 ml
- Sugar4.9 ml
- Black pepper2½ ml
- Neutral oil15 ml
To serve
- Shallot, thinly sliced, for frying4
- Neutral oil, for frying the shallots59 ml
- Mint1 bunch
- Coriander1 bunch
- Bean sprouts, blanched150 g
- Cucumber, sliced1
Nước chấm
- Fish sauce44 ml
- Sugar30 ml
- Lime, juiced, or 2 tbsp rice vinegar1
- Garlic, minced1 clove
- Fresh chilli, sliced1
- Water, warm150 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch, salt and oil into the water until smooth. Rest the batter for at least an hour; it should be thinner than single cream.
60 min
Step 2
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the chopped shallot until soft. Add the pork and break it up, then the wood ear, fish sauce, sugar and pepper, and cook until the pork is done and dry, about 6 minutes. Set aside.
10 min
Step 3
Fry the sliced shallots in the 4 tbsp oil over medium-low heat, stirring, until evenly golden, 8 to 10 minutes, then drain on paper; they crisp as they cool. For the nước chấm, stir the sugar into the warm water until it dissolves, then add the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and chilli.
12 min
Watch: Shallots go from gold to burnt in seconds at the end. Pull them a shade early.
Step 4
Heat a 20 cm non-stick frying pan over medium heat and wipe it with a little oil. Stir the batter, pour in 3 to 4 tbsp and swirl it into a thin, even layer. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 to 45 seconds, until the sheet is translucent and comes away from the edge.
2 min
Tip: If the sheet has holes, use a little more batter. If it is thick and white, use less and swirl faster.
Step 5
Turn the sheet out onto an oiled tray. Spoon a line of filling along one edge, fold in the sides and roll it up. Repeat with the rest of the batter, oiling the pan lightly every few sheets.
40 min
Step 6
Arrange the rolls on plates, scatter with fried shallots, mint and coriander, and serve with bean sprouts, cucumber and the nước chấm for dipping.
5 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 486 kcal
- Protein
- 23.3 g
- Carbs
- 36.8 g
- Fat
- 27.8 g
- Saturated fat
- 5.1 g
- Fibre
- 3.4 g
- Sugar
- 14.2 g
- Sodium
- 2124 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Fish
- Soy
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 11 November.
Substitutions
Tapioca starch → Potato starch or cornflour
Both give some stretch. The sheets are a little less elastic and tear more easily.
Dried wood ear → Fresh shiitake, finely diced
A different flavour and softer bite, but it keeps the contrast with the pork.
Tips
- The first two sheets are practice. Do not judge the batter until the pan has settled to an even heat.
- Make the filling and fried shallots ahead. The sheets are best rolled and eaten within the hour.
- Keep the shallot oil. A little brushed over the finished rolls stops them sticking and adds flavour.
History & culture
Bánh cuốn is a Hanoi breakfast, eaten at small shops where one person ladles batter at the steamer and the rolls come out by the plateful. Slices of chả lụa pork sausage and fried shallot go on the side. Thanh Trì, south of the city, is known for plain sheets with no filling, eaten only with shallots and dipping sauce.
Steamed rice sheets are shared across southern China and northern Vietnam; Cantonese cheung fun is a cousin. Bánh cuốn grew up in the Red River Delta villages around Hanoi, where rice was soaked and ground wet on stone mills. The cloth-steamer method is old and still used in Hanoi shops; the non-stick pan arrived with home cooks abroad.
Modern adaptation — Hanoi shops steam the sheets on cloth stretched over boiling water, which gives a thinner, silkier sheet than a pan can. A lidded non-stick pan is the standard home method. Chả lụa, the Vietnamese pork roll served alongside, is worth buying from a Vietnamese shop if you can.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Bánh cuốn take?
2 hr 30 min all in — 30 min prep, 1 hr cook, 1 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
Mild.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Fish, Soy. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free.
12 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Frying pan, Mixing bowl, Baking tray, Chef's knife, Cutting board.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at ½ tsp.
How much fish sauce?
1 tbsp of Fish sauce.
How much sugar?
1 tsp of Sugar.
How much fish sauce?
3 tbsp of Fish sauce.
How much sugar?
2 tbsp of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Tapioca starch → Potato starch or cornflour. Both give some stretch. The sheets are a little less elastic and tear more easily. Dried wood ear → Fresh shiitake, finely diced. A different flavour and softer bite, but it keeps the contrast with the pork.
What should I watch for?
Shallots go from gold to burnt in seconds at the end. Pull them a shade early.
Any tips from this recipe?
The first two sheets are practice. Do not judge the batter until the pan has settled to an even heat. Make the filling and fried shallots ahead. The sheets are best rolled and eaten within the hour. Keep the shallot oil. A little brushed over the finished rolls stops them sticking and adds flavour.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Make the filling and fried shallots ahead. The sheets are best rolled and eaten within the hour.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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