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 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.
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.
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.
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!
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:
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:
- 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).
- Keep the filling you just cooked next to the plate/cutting board for quick access.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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).
- 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!
- 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!
Brent says
This looks great but I do it with shredded cabbage too.
Lisa Mai says
Yeah most people do that but I really don’t like cabbage =P
Bibs @ Tasteometer says
These sound delicious, thanks for sharing.
Lisa Le says
Hi Rachel! I bought it already deep fried at my local Chinatown. =)
kira says
This may sound like a silly question…but can we use the same wrappers as the spring rolls instead…or is that too thin?
Lisa Le says
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.
Sophie says
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!
Lisa Le says
I’m so glad! Thanks for leaving a comment and I hope it works well for you!
Sophie says
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 :)
Lisa Le says
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!
Diana So says
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!
Lisa Le says
Hahha yes! Mamas know best. Thanks for stopping by ^_^
sophia ly says
no freaking way!! i am so glad i found this website as i am a vietnamese vegan, as well!
Lisa Le says
WHAAAAAAAAT! I have never met another Viet vegan. You’re awesome.
Oanh says
I’m a Vietnamese Vegan too! ;)
Linda says
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!
Lisa Le says
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.
Bunnie Pollock says
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.
Lisa Le says
Hmmm I see it, it should be before the comment section. Can you email me a screenshot? [email protected]
Valerie Mates says
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!!!
Lisa Le says
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!
Rita says
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
Lisa Le says
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)
Brittany says
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!!
Lisa Le says
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?
Bonsai says
I’m so excited about this recipe! I would love to see a tutorial video on this!
Lisa Le says
I’ve been meaning to! I’ll try to do one soon.
Kathrine says
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!
Katherine says
Did you use sweet glutinous rice flour (sticky one) or regular white rice flour?
Lisa Le says
Regular white rice flour!