''Bánh cuốn'' or ''Bánh quấn'' (, ''roll'') is a Vietnamese dish originating from

Northern Vietnam Northern Vietnam or '' Tonkin'' () is one of three geographical regions in Vietnam. It consists of three geographic sub-regions: the Northwest (Vùng Tây Bắc), the Northeast (Vùng Đông Bắc), and the Red River Delta (Đồng Bằng Sôn ...

In Vietnamese cuisine

''Bánh cuốn'' is made from a thin, wide sheet of

fermented Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic compound, Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are Catabo ...

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

batter filled with a mixture of cooked seasoned ground pork, minced wood ear mushroom, and minced

shallot The shallot is a cultivar group of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the difference was t ...

s. Sides for this dish usually consist of '' chả lụa'' (Vietnamese pork sausage), sliced cucumber, and

bean sprouts Sprouting is the natural process by which seeds or spores germinate and put out shoots, and already established plants produce new leaves or buds, or other structures experience further growth. In the field of nutrition, the term signifies ...

, with the dipping sauce, which is

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...

, called ''

nước chấm , or more specifically nước mắm chấm (), is a common name for a variety of Vietnamese dipping sauces that are often served as condiments. It is commonly a sweet, sour, salty, savoury and/or spicy sauce. (mixed fish sauce) is the m ...

'' (fish sauce). The rice sheet of ''bánh cuốn'' is extremely thin and delicate. It is made by steaming a slightly fermented rice batter on a cloth that is stretched over a pot of boiling water. It is a light dish and is generally eaten for breakfast everywhere in Vietnam. A different version of ''bánh cuốn'', called ''bánh cuốn Thanh Trì'' and ''bánh cuốn làng Kênh'', may be found in Thanh Trì, a southern district of

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

and Kênh village of Nam Định, an ancient village in the center of Nam Định city. ''Bánh cuốn Thanh Trì'' or ''Bánh cuốn làng Kênh'' are not rolls, but just rice sheets eaten with '' chả lụa'', fried shallots, or prawns. ''Bánh ướt'' is simply the unfilled rice sheet, and is typically served with bean sprouts, chopped lettuce, sliced cucumber, fresh basil and mint, fried shallots and onions, chả/giò lụa, and fish sauce.

In other countries

''Pak moh yuan''

In regards to Vietnamese culture, Thai cuisine commonly refers to the dish as ''pak moh yuan'' (). Skilled food preparers will make each rice sheet extra thin with as much stuffing as possible. Rice sheets are usually made of arrowroot flour which gives a tapioca-like consistency. The dough may also be infused with naturally extracted herbs such as butterfly pea for blue shades and pandan for green shades. As for the stuffing, the most popular stuffing is ground pork with cilantro roots, pepper, garlic, shallots and preserved radish. Less common stuffing is chicken, mushroom, corn, coconut, bean sprouts, chives, etc. Vegetarian recipes are also available. ''Pak moh yuan'' is often served with sauces and toppings. While sweet chili sauce is the standard, recipes from certain regions may also use seafood ingredients in their sauce. Coconut milk may be drizzled on top as a sweet option. The dish may be garnished with fried garlic and served with lettuce and fresh chili on the side.

''Khao phan''

Another variation known in

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine (, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with aromatics and spicy heat. The Australian chef David Thompson (chef), David Thompson, an expert on Thai food, observes that ...

is ''khao phan'' (; lit. "rice wrap"). It is regarded a specialty of Uttaradit province where it is eaten freshly made in many variations, but also sun-dried. The dried versions often have spices added to them and are popularly used as a wrap for a spicy salad made with rice noodles and minced pork.

Gallery

File:Banh cuon nhan thit.jpg, Bánh cuốn Tây Hồ with shrimp tempura and chả lụa File:Banhcuon.jpg, A dish of homemade ''bánh cuốn'' File:Khao phan 02.jpg, The batter for ''khao phan'', as the noodle roll is called in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, is spread out over a cloth stretched over a pot of boiling water. File:Khao phan 01.jpg, Rolling up the finished product File:Khao phan nga muan.jpg, A variation of the Thai ''khao phan'' with black sesame seeds and served with a spicy dipping sauce called ''

nam chim ''Nam chim'' or ''nam jim'' (, ) is Thai for " dipping sauce". It can refer to a wide variety of dipping sauces in Thai cuisine, with many of them a combination of salty, sweet, spicy and sour. ''Nam chim'' tend to be more watery in consistency ...

chaeo'' File:Khao phan phak.jpg, ''Khao phan phak'', a variation with stir-fried vegetables File:Banh Cuon.jpg, ''Bánh cuốn'' sold at a market in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Bánh ướt

''Bánh ướt'' (, ), is a Vietnamese thin

pancake A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat type of batter bread like cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based Batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a ...

wrapperCharles Gordon Sinclair (1998
''International Dictionary of Food & Cooking''
Taylor & Francis, Page 48 consisting of rice noodle sheets, eaten with ''

'', fried

s, and a side of '' chả lụa'' (Vietnamese pork sausage). Typical serving of Bánh ướt.jpg, Typical serving of bánh ướt Banh Uot Tom Chay Kim Long.jpg, Bánh ướt

References

External links

Alice's Guide to Vietnamese Banh

Bánh cuốn
on ''Hanoidelicious'' Recipe for bánh cuốn in French

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banh cuon Vietnamese rice dishes Thai cuisine Steamed foods Fermented foods Vietnamese noodle dishes Bánh Stuffed dishes