Authentic Vietnamese Cooking/Corinne Trang

Steamed Rice Sheets with Pork (Banh Cuon)

Servings Prep. Time Cooking Time Calories % from Fat Fat Sodium Carbohydrates Protein Cholesterol
20 each N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A


INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup dried cloud ear mushrooms 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 teaspoon sugar
12 ounces ground pork (70% lean) 1 cup rice flour 1/3 cup tapioca starch
pinch of salt 1/3 cup vegetable oil scallion oil
nuoc cham



1 Soak the mushrooms in hot water to cover in a bowl until rehydrated and softened, about 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze the mushrooms to extract any remaining water. With a knife, remove and discard any hard knobs from the mushrooms. Mince and place the mushrooms in a bowl. Add the fish sauce, sugar, and pork and mix well. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour.
2 For the banh uot, whisk rice flour, tapioca starch, and salt with 2-1/4 cups water in a bowl. Allow to rest for 1 hour. Stretch a cheesecloth over the edges of the mamboo rack and tighten it with kitchen string around the rim. Fill the bottom third of a wok with water and place the bamboo rack and lid over it. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. When the steamer is filled with steam, brush some of the batter on top of the cheesecloth, spreading with the back of a ladle to about 4 inches in diameter. Close the lid and steam until cooked, about 3 minutes. Loosen the edges with a spatula and transfer the sheet to an oiled plate. Brush some oil on the sheet to keep it from sticking to the next. Repeat process for the remaining batter.
3 Stir-fry the pork until cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes, and divede into 20 equal portions. Place each portion on one side of a rice sheet. Fold the sheet over once, fold in the sides, and fold all the way to form a bundle. Place banh cuon on a plate.
4 Remove the cheesecloth from the bamboo rack, place the plate of banh cuon on the rack, and steam, with the lid on, for 5 minutes. Dizzle scallion oil over each banh cuon and dip in nuoc cham.
5 NOTE: You can also use Cantonese fresh rice sheets, sha ho fen. Longer, wider, and slightly thicker, they are sold in sheets, which need to be cut into 4-inch squares.

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