Vietnamese dishesSavory CakesNorthern Vietnam120 minutes, including 1 hour resting the batter in the fridge
Banh cuon made in a skillet is the simplest route for a home kitchen, with no steamer and no stretched cloth. The wrapper comes out thin and lightly chewy, wrapped around a hot filling of minced pork and wood ear mushroom. The hardest part is the heat of the pan: too cool and the wrapper stays raw, too hot and the edges dry out and tear as they are rolled.
The batter needs a full hour in the fridge to lose its stickiness and spread evenly. A common mistake is letting oil pool in the pan, because batter will not cling to those spots and the wrapper ends up with holes in the middle.
This batch weighs about 3.9kg, at roughly 158 calories per 100g.
Method
Make the fried shallots: thinly slice 200g shallots, rinse them, let them wilt slightly, toss with a little tapioca starch and sift off the excess. Heat 400ml cooking oil, fry the shallots until golden and fragrant, then lift them out to drain.
Season the filling: put 500g finely minced pork collar in a bowl, add 10g salt, 5g MSG, 4.5g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 5g black pepper, mix well and rest for 15 minutes.
Fry 500g minced onion, squeezed dry, with 50g minced shallot in a little oil until fragrant. Add the pork and stir until firm, then add 50g wood ear mushroom, toss for 30 seconds and turn off the heat.
Mix the batter: combine 400g rice flour with 100g tapioca starch, then pour in 1.2 liters warm water while whisking until completely smooth.
Stir 4 tablespoons cooking oil and 2 teaspoons salt into the batter, then chill it for 1 hour.
Cook the wrappers: set a nonstick pan over medium heat and wipe a thin film of oil around the inside. Once the pan is moderately hot, ladle in 1/2 tablespoon of batter, swirl quickly to coat, and cover for 15 to 20 seconds.
When the wrapper is set, invert the pan onto an oiled plate, spread on the filling and roll it while still hot. Repeat until the batter is used up.
Make the dipping sauce: heat 100g fish sauce with 90g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend until fully dissolved, then add 600ml water, minced chili and the juice of 1/2 lime.
Arrange the rolls on a plate, scatter fried shallots over the top, and serve with greens, cha lua (Vietnamese pork sausage) and pickles.
Tips
Resting the batter overnight in the fridge gives a noticeably chewier wrapper.
A pan that is too cool leaves the wrapper raw, and a pan that is too hot dries it out and burns the edges.
Wiping the oil on with a paper towel rather than pouring it in matters, because pooled oil is exactly what leaves holes in the middle of the wrapper.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so the dipping sauce needs another stir after 5 minutes before tasting.
The shallots come out as soon as they start to turn golden and go onto paper, since the residual heat keeps browning them.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.