Monday, February 15, 2010

Banh Cuon Gia Truyen - Hanoi, Vietnam (Old Quarter)

Eating banh cuon (thin rice crepes filled with ground pork and woodear mushrooms) for breakfast is quite popular in Vietnam. We didn't get to this place till quite late in the day, but we were glad to see that they were still open and serving up these tasty treats.

Here's a good recipe for one if you are interested in trying this task at home. A screen of cloth that is used to mold the rice crepes is fitted over the opening of a pot of boiling water. The blue round thing in the picture is the screen where the batter is poured. The crepe batter is lightly spread on the screen and covered with a lid. After a few minutes, a bamboo stick is used to strip the thin crepe off the screen. I was amazed by how fast she was able to make these crepes. I tried to take a picture, but she was too quick.

The crepe is very thin, light and a bit sticky. While it's hot, it's stuffed with chopped up pieces of pork and mushrooms, rolled up and sprinkled with fried shallots and cilantro. You use the fish sauce as dipping sauce. It's a wonderfully light meal, perfect for breakfast, or in our case, a late night snack.


Banh Cuon Gia Truyen
14 Hang Ga Street

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