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Bánh cuốn chay – Vietnamese Vegetarian Steamed Rice Rolls

May 23, 2013 by Lisa Le 30 Comments

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Bánh cuốn chay (aka Vietnamese stuffed rice rolls) are tender and chewy, stuffed with a savoury filling and topped with vegan Vietnamese dipping sauce!

Bánh cướn chay - Vietnamese Vegetarian Stuffed Rice Rolls from alimentageuse.com

Bánh cuốn vs bánh ướt

Depending on where in Vietnam you’re from, this dish is either called bánh cuốn or bánh ướt. Roughly translated, bánh cuốn means “folded cakes/noodles” while bánh ướt translates to “wet cakes/noodles”. I think the English name for these would be Vietnamese steamed rice rolls, even though our version is cooked covered in an oiled pan.

I grew up knowing bánh ướt to be steamed and not pan-fried, and typically made of very thin sheets of rice noodle. Both are topped with chả lụa, aka Vietnamese sausage, cucumber, herbs, and fish sauce. But bánh cuốn tends to be stuffed.

What my family calls bánh ướt would be considered the Chinese dish, Cheung Fun, which is similar but is typically stuffed with shrimp (or dried little shrimps from the grocery store). I know lots of other Southern and Northern Vietnamese people call what I consider bánh cuốn to be bánh ướt. In any case, they’re very similar dishes!

How to serve:

Typically, bánh cuốn are stuffed with a ground pork mixture, and topped with fried onions. My family serves bánh cuốn with chả lụa, and lots of extra veggies like green leaf lettuce, cucumbers, mint, and cilantro. Since my grandpa is an avid gardener, we serve these steamed rice rolls with a ton of fresh Asian herbs on top. I’ve been lucky to find vegan chả lụa from the Asian markets by me, so they are a must have on these steamed rice rolls.

Bánh cướn chay - Vietnamese Vegetarian Stuffed Rice Rolls from alimentageuse.com
Chopped up fried tofu, used in the filling for bánh cuốn chay

The fish-sauce based Vietnamese dipping sauce is generously poured on top, making these rolls my absolute favourite thing to eat. When I went vegan, I thought I wouldn’t be able to eat this ever again! Luckily my mom proved me wrong.

One day, she woke up early and made me these before she went to work. It was a huge platter of about 40 rolls and I was ecstatic. I had some vegetarian dipping sauce to drizzle on top and everything was perfect.

I asked my mom to teach me how to make this to share with you. I’m really thankful to my family for taking the time to teach me how to make bánh cuốn chay!

My Family’s Recipe & Cooking Method:

For Mother’s Day, my mom, my grandmother, and I all gathered in the kitchen to learn how to make bánh cuốn chay. My mom cooked two at a time and was a BEAST at mastering the rhythm. It was intimidating at first, but once she showed me how to do it once, I just dove in.

Bánh cướn chay - Vietnamese Vegetarian Stuffed Rice Rolls from alimentageuse.com

Surprisingly, I was able to get the rhythm of making these bánh cuốn chay down pretty quickly. Honestly, the most difficult part was flipping the rice crepes over flat. They kept flipping all to one side so it was a pile of rice crepe. They’re quite sticky and refused to come apart (kind of like bunched cellophane).

The bottom of the crepe is smooth and oily, while the top part of the crepe is bubbly and crispy. We tuck the crisp side inside, while the outside is smooth and unctuous. Bánh cuốn chay is so good because of the combination of textures: savoury filling, chewy crepes, crunchy fried onions, and crisp freshness from the greens? It’s a classic.

Print Recipe

Banh cuon chay – Vietnamese Vegetarian Stuffed Rice Rolls

These Vietnamese stuffed rice rolls are tender and chewy, filled with a savoury filling to be topped with vegan Vietnamese dipping sauce!
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time50 minutes mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Servings: 30 -40 rolls (about 6-8 servings)
Calories: 3384kcal
Author: Lisa Le

Ingredients

For the batter

  • 1 lb rice flour one bag from the Asian markets
  • 1 L + 1/4 cup warm water
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

For the filling

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 large carrot grated or finely diced
  • 3 bundles of mung bean/glass noodles approx. 3 cups dried
  • 2 cups of chopped fried tofu about 3 cups of fried cubes, chopped is about 2 cups
  • 1 cup wood ear fungus dried, often called Black Fungus, can be found in Asian markets
  • salt and pepper to taste

To serve:

  • Garnish with chopped cucumber steamed bean sprouts, mint leaves, lettuce, and fried onions with Vietnamese dipping sauce.

Instructions

For the Batter

  • Combine rice flour, warm water and oil in a bowl. Stir well until all the rice flour is hydrated. Set aside.

For the Filling:

  • Soak glass noodles in hot water for 10 minutes. Once they're pliable/soft, drain and use scissors to cut into 1 cm pieces. Set aside.
  • Soak the wood ear fungus in warm water until soft. Slice into small slivers and set aside for cooking.
  • In a large pan over medium heat, stir-fry the onion and carrots with oil for 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent.
  • Add the chopped noodles, sliced fungus and about 1/2 tsp salt and continue cooking, stirring continuously for about 5-7 minutes (the noodles will get softer and absorb the moisture from the cooking process.
  • Add the chopped tofu and another dash of salt. Continue until everything is cooked through, then remove from heat and set aside.
  • Preheat a small, non-stick pan over medium high heat and pour one ladle-full of batter (make sure you stir the batter before pouring) onto the pan. Cover with a lid and cook for about 1 minute. Take the lid off the pan and continue to cook for another minute.
  • Flip the crepe onto a cutting board/plate and fill the crepe with the filling. Tuck in edges then roll to wrap the filling. Transfer to a platter.
  • Repeat until all ingredients are gone. If you want to do the 2 pan process that my family taught me, see the notes below.
  • Serve with vietnamese dipping sauce and the greens mentioned in the ingredients list.

Notes

My family's Two Pan Method:

  1. Heat two small non-stick pans on medium high and keep the rice crepe batter with a ladle beside the stove. Also set up a plate or cutting board for you to fill and wrap the crepes (I recommend wearing vinyl gloves if you don't think your hands can handle hot crepes).
  2. Keep the filling you just cooked next to the plate/cutting board for quick access.
  3. Stir the batter well to mix the settled rice flour. Pour a ladle-full into preheated pan #1 and cover with a lid. Let cook for about 1 minute, then remove the lid (keep on heat).
  4. Now pour a ladle-full into pan #2 and cover with the lid that you took off pan #1. Flip pan #1 over onto the cutting board/plate and pour another ladle-full onto pan #1 and take the lid from pan #2 and cover pan #1.
  5. Now take a spoonful of the filling and place in a strip in the middle of the crepe (on the crispy side). Tuck in the edges then roll to keep the filling inside. Move to a plate and then flip the crepe from pan #2 onto the cutting board (the crispy side will be facing up).
  6. Fill pan #2 with batter (make sure you stir before pouring) and take the lid from pan #1 and put it on #2. Fill the crepe and repeat the process!
  7. It sounds complicated but once you do it, you just get into a rhythm and before you know it, you're out of ingredients and you've got like 2 platters of rice rolls!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 3384kcal | Carbohydrates: 741g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 242mg
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Filed Under: Breakfast, Lunch, Vegan recipes, Vietnamese Tagged With: banh, chay, cuon, dinner, fresh, lunch, rice, rolls, tofu, vietnamese

About Lisa Le

Lisa is the thirty-something, nerdy, procrastinating, feminist blogger and photographer behind The Viet Vegan. She loves spicy foods, noodles, and food in bowls.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brent says

    May 30, 2013 at 7:58 PM

    This looks great but I do it with shredded cabbage too.

    Reply
    • Lisa Mai says

      May 31, 2013 at 12:38 AM

      Yeah most people do that but I really don’t like cabbage =P

      Reply
  2. Bibs @ Tasteometer says

    December 19, 2013 at 9:52 AM

    These sound delicious, thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Lisa Le says

    April 2, 2014 at 2:06 PM

    Hi Rachel! I bought it already deep fried at my local Chinatown. =)

    Reply
  4. kira says

    July 2, 2014 at 8:27 PM

    This may sound like a silly question…but can we use the same wrappers as the spring rolls instead…or is that too thin?

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      July 9, 2014 at 7:20 PM

      Hi Kira, perhaps you could but it would be a different dish entirely. I also recommend using some more bulky/starchy ingredients in the mix if you were to turn these into fried spring rolls like grated potato or taro.

      Reply
  5. Sophie says

    July 14, 2014 at 4:40 PM

    I think this might be my new favorite blog :) I love Vietnamese food so much and enjoy trying to learn my way around different dishes in my own kitchen! But I recently became a vegetarian and there is meat in so so many Viet dishes. I love tofu, and of course sometimes meat can just be left out, but there are times I wonder how to modify a Viet dish to my new eating habits. I was looking online for this dish specifically and am so excited to try making my own rice crepes. Yay! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      July 16, 2014 at 12:42 AM

      I’m so glad! Thanks for leaving a comment and I hope it works well for you!

      Reply
      • Sophie says

        July 22, 2014 at 1:45 PM

        Thank you! I just made these last night! Everything I read was telling me how tricky it would be to make these pancakes correctly. I did have several that collapsed into lumps of pancake, but I ended up with 12 good enough for my dinner party guests! I LOVED the mushroom/carrot/fried tofu combination, so delicious. Thanks for your wonderful instruction here :)

        Reply
        • Lisa Le says

          July 24, 2014 at 11:21 AM

          I’m so glad! I tend to make “deconstructed” rolls with those lumpy disasters because as long as you add the filling, some veggies and the dipping sauce/dressing, it tastes just as good!

          Reply
  6. Diana So says

    August 22, 2015 at 4:18 AM

    So glad I came across this. My mom made some a couple of weeks ago and I totally forgot how much I love them! Hoping to see if she’ll do one with the fried tofu for me next time while I master this whole crepe making thing. My mom does the two pan process as well!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      August 24, 2015 at 6:19 PM

      Hahha yes! Mamas know best. Thanks for stopping by ^_^

      Reply
  7. sophia ly says

    September 25, 2015 at 12:38 AM

    no freaking way!! i am so glad i found this website as i am a vietnamese vegan, as well!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      September 25, 2015 at 10:11 AM

      WHAAAAAAAAT! I have never met another Viet vegan. You’re awesome.

      Reply
      • Oanh says

        December 1, 2020 at 10:11 AM

        I’m a Vietnamese Vegan too! ;)

        Reply
  8. Linda says

    March 7, 2016 at 3:00 AM

    If you use Fish Sauce, then it IS NOT Vegan. Just like Worcestershire sauce IS Not Vegan because it is made with anchovies. So please do not call this vegan if you are gong to suggest using the Fish Sauce!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      March 7, 2016 at 3:30 PM

      Hi Linda! If you actually read the post you could see that I have a vegetarian version of the traditional fish sauce. As someone who is Vietnamese, I like to educate my readers not only about vegan food but also Vietnamese culture, and I think it’s important to explain to people who may never have experienced Vietnamese food before that fish sauce is quite abundant in Vietnamese cuisine. Since I am now vegan (Recipes on my blog prior to fall 2013 have non-vegan recipes because that’s when I transitioned to veganism), I strive to find alternatives and methods to cooking Vietnamese food that is vegan and mimics the traditional flavours of Viet cuisine.

      Reply
  9. Bunnie Pollock says

    December 28, 2017 at 12:22 PM

    I am having trouble finding the recipe for Banh Cuon – Vietnamese Vegetarian Steamed Rice Rolls. I see the picture and read the story about mothers day. (delightful story by the way) but i am unable to see the actual recipe.

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      December 28, 2017 at 4:11 PM

      Hmmm I see it, it should be before the comment section. Can you email me a screenshot? [email protected]

      Reply
  10. Valerie Mates says

    February 4, 2020 at 5:05 PM

    Hi – I hope it’s okay to ask a question about a recipe that was posted a long time ago.

    The recipe doesn’t say how to make the batter, but I guess you just stir the batter ingredients in a mixing bowl? What size of frying pan do you use? That is, about how many inches across should the crepes be?

    Thanks for any info! These look amazing!!!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      February 9, 2020 at 5:00 PM

      Oh my gosh, how was this recipe up for so long without me noticing that?! I’ve made this so many times too XD Yep all the batter ingredients go in a bowl, that’s it! The size of frying pan we typically use is maybe 8 inches? The smaller it is, the easier it is typically to fill. The crepes should be about 7-8 inches wide. When you fold them, you kind of want them to be about 5 inches long, so an inch on each side to fold in, if that makes sense!

      Reply
  11. Rita says

    February 14, 2020 at 4:57 PM

    I got back from. Vietnam a couple of months ago and unfortunately I could not enjoy these there as I’m vegetarian. Excited to see this recipe! QQ. How long before serving can I make them? Thanks

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      February 20, 2020 at 11:54 PM

      My mom will batch cook these and then store them in the fridge for up to a few days (they barely last more than 2 because we eat them too fast haha)

      Reply
  12. Brittany says

    March 20, 2020 at 10:12 PM

    Hi Lisa! I tried to make these and the batter texture didn’t come out correctly. Some were too thick and cakey and the thin ones tasted like they weren’t done enough. But if I cooked them longer they got hard. I couldn’t get the chewy texture right :( any tips? Thanks so much!!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      March 21, 2020 at 2:56 PM

      Hmmm since I don’t know exactly how you cooked the recipe, but this is the recipe my mom uses all the time. Are you covering the pans with a lid? That might help make sure they fully cook on the top?

      Reply
  13. Bonsai says

    May 22, 2020 at 1:35 PM

    I’m so excited about this recipe! I would love to see a tutorial video on this!

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      June 8, 2020 at 4:19 PM

      I’ve been meaning to! I’ll try to do one soon.

      Reply
  14. Kathrine says

    July 19, 2020 at 3:02 PM

    These were super delicious! I filled them with miso-walnut mustard greens.
    Also, I’m not sure how much you’re supposed to fill these for my size of pan but it’s probably less than I did. No worries though! They were really good!

    Reply
  15. Katherine says

    December 3, 2020 at 2:09 PM

    Did you use sweet glutinous rice flour (sticky one) or regular white rice flour?

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      December 15, 2020 at 2:49 PM

      Regular white rice flour!

      Reply

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