Destination
Luang Prabang
The story
Bánh cuốn is technically Vietnamese, but it's so deeply embedded in the Luang Prabang morning market that most Lao consider it their own. Very thin sheets of steamed rice noodle are rolled around a filling of ground pork and wood-ear mushroom, arranged on a plate with slices of grilled Vietnamese-style sausage (chả lụa or the fried nem chua), a heap of fresh herbs (mint, coriander, Thai basil, cucumber batons, bean sprouts) and a small dish of dipping sauce (nước chấm) sharp with fish sauce, lime and chilli. Sold from Vietnamese-Lao families at Phousi Market and along the Nam Khan riverfront from 6am until the batch runs out.
Method
Warm the oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Sweat the shallot and garlic 3 minutes. Add the pork, wood-ear mushroom, fish sauce, salt, sugar and pepper. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, breaking up the pork, until browned and any liquid has evaporated. Cool.
Whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the cold water until smooth and lump-free. Whisk in the oil. Rest 20 minutes.
Whisk the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and warm water together until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the garlic and chilli. Set aside.
Set up a large pot with a wide steamer basket. Add water and bring to a rolling boil. Oil a wide flat metal tray (about 25cm x 20cm) generously.
Whisk the batter briefly. Pour about a ladleful onto the oiled tray, tilting to spread into a very thin layer (about 1 to 2mm). Place the tray in the steamer, cover tightly and steam over high heat for 60 to 90 seconds, until the sheet has set into a smooth, translucent noodle.
Lift the tray out. Working with a wet spatula, spread a heaped tablespoon of the pork filling along one edge of the sheet. Roll the sheet up around the filling from that edge. Slide onto a plate. Cut into 2 or 3 pieces.
Re-oil the tray and repeat with the remaining batter and filling until you have 12 to 16 rolls.
Arrange the rolls on a large plate. Add slices of Vietnamese sausage, a pile of fresh herbs, bean sprouts and cucumber. Scatter with crispy fried shallots. Serve with the dipping sauce in a small bowl on the side. Each roll gets dipped before eating.
Tips
- Rice flour is not glutinous rice flour. This is the single most common home-cook mistake. Rice flour (from Chinese and Vietnamese grocers) gives you the silky, translucent noodle. Glutinous rice flour makes something completely different.
- The tray must be wide, flat and generously oiled. A wide shallow metal tray (a wide cake tin works) plus a good coat of oil is what lets the finished sheet peel off cleanly.
- Steam over rapidly boiling water. High heat sets the batter fast; low heat gives you a rubbery, undercooked sheet. Tight-fitting lid, water at a rolling boil.
- Roll while warm. Just after removing the tray from the steamer is the sweet spot. Too hot and the sheet tears; too cool and it sticks to the tray.
- Chả lụa is the classic accompaniment. Vietnamese-style pork sausage (sold at Vietnamese grocers as chả lụa or gio lua) is what makes bánh cuốn feel complete. Sliced Chinese sausage is a passable substitute.
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