Bánh Cuốn: Hanoi's Steamed Rice Pancakes

Bánh cuốn is the Hanoi breakfast that visitors most often miss because they go for phở instead. Wafer-thin rice pancakes steamed over a cloth, rolled around a filling of minced pork and wood-ear mushroom, eaten with fish-sauce dip, fried shallots and a wedge of pork sausage.

What it is

A rice-flour batter (sometimes mixed with tapioca for stretch) ladled onto a tight cotton cloth stretched across a pot of boiling water. After about thirty seconds, the cook lifts the now-set pancake off with a bamboo stick, lays it on a tray, adds a smear of pork-and-mushroom filling, rolls it up and snips it into pieces. Served with shallot oil, crispy fried shallot, sliced chả lụa (steamed pork sausage), fresh herbs, and a small bowl of nước chấm for dipping.

Origin and history

Bánh cuốn is unmistakably northern and unmistakably old, recorded since at least the 18th century. The dish is closest cousin to Cantonese cheung fun, and the steamed-on-cloth technique probably arrived from southern China centuries ago. The Hanoi version became the standard.

Where to try it

In Hanoi, Bánh Cuốn Bà Hoành at 66 Tô Hiến Thành is the long-running family-run institution for around 50,000 VND. Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền at 14 Hàng Gà in the Old Quarter is the convenient old-town option. Bánh Cuốn Bà Xuân near Hoàn Kiếm is open all day. Outside Hanoi, the dish is sold but rarely with the same skill.

How to eat it

The dip is the dish. Squeeze in lime, add chilli if you like, drop a few drops of cà cuống (giant water-beetle essence) if the stall offers it — a few drops perfume the entire bowl. Pick up a piece of bánh cuốn with chopsticks, dip, eat. Alternate with bites of chả lụa and herbs.

Regional variations

The Hanoi version is the lightest and thinnest. Bánh cuốn Cao Bằng, from the northern border region, is thicker and served in a bowl of bone broth — closer to a noodle soup than a pancake. The Saigon version is sweeter and the filling is usually pre-cooked rather than warm.

Honest take

A plate of bánh cuốn with a glass of iced tea and a side of chả lụa is one of the best 60,000 VND breakfasts in Vietnam. It is also one of the dishes most affected by who is cooking — a clumsy bánh cuốn is rubbery and dull; a good one is gossamer. Go to the named places.

Related reading: Bún thang, Northern cuisine, Hanoi food guide, Hanoi, Xôi.