Baùnh Cuoán

Baùnh Cuoán is a Vietnamese steamed version of a spring roll. As they’re prepared a little differently from other spring rolls, they’re often referred to in English as “steamed rice rolls.” The main difference between these and other steamed spring rolls is that while other steamed spring rolls use ready-made wrappers, for Baùnh Cuoán you make the wrapper as part of the process.

To make Baùnh Cuoán, rice is soaked overnight in water, then ground into a batter. A cloth screen is then stretched over a pot of boiling water, and the batter is spread over the cloth. A cover is then put on the pot to cover the cloth until the rice batter has cooked, forming a sort of “pancake.” You pick the pancake up with a chopstick by rolling it around the chopstick. You sprinkle the pancake with fried onion, and serve it with a sweet, spicy dip.

More modern versions have stir-fried, finely chopped toppings put on the “pancake” when it is cooked, which then become a sort of filling when it is rolled up. These versions are still sprinkled with fried onion and served with dip as the plainer versions are.