It's time to GIVE BIG! To support Helping Link’s fundraising efforts, I did a live cooking demo of making Bánh Cuốn. If you weren’t able to join, you can check out the video on their website.
Helping Link/Một Dấu Nối is a Seattle based nonprofit that offers programs to assist Vietnamese immigrants in their effort to settle in their new country, strengthen the Vietnamese community and promote cultural harmony. They work with diverse groups of individuals including adults, seniors, students, recent graduates, and young professionals living in the greater Seattle area. The success of Helping Link’s programs is due solely to the efforts of volunteers, the financial support of exceptional individuals, and the community’s participation in these programs.
Give big is an annual fundraising event for nonprofits that takes place in the first week of May. This year, their event has been extended to May 15th, 2020. There’s still time give!
Bánh Cuốn is a traditional dish from Northern Vietnam. It is composed of a thin rice cake made from rice batter that is steamed over sheet of muslin then filled with pork and jicama. Most modern recipes will cook the cake batter in a nonstick pan, much like making a crêpe. I find that the traditional method creates a smoother, more delicate rice cake.
To make this recipe, you will need a tradition bánh cuốn steamer (pictured in the upper right-hand corner). They are available at most Vietnamese grocery stores…channel your inner MacGyver. A bánh cuốn steamer is essentially a pot of water with a piece of muslin stretched over the top.
Bánh Cuốn - Pork and Jicama Rice Rolls
Serves 4
Batter: 1 ¾ cups rice flour ¼ cup tapioca or potato starch 2 - 2 ¼ cups water ½ teaspoon salt ¼ cup fried shallots, for garnishing Mix everything together to create a smooth batter, set aside for at least ½ hour before
steaming. Meanwhile, make the pork filling and dipping sauce.
Steam approximately ¼ cup of batter at a time over high heat. The rice cake will puff up from the muslin surface of the steamer when cooked all the way through, about 1 minute. Using a thin spatula, carefully transfer the rice cake to a clean and lightly oiled surface.
Place 2 tablespoons of filling horizontally in the center of each rice cake then wrap the rice cake around the filling to form a roll. Garnish the rolls with fried shallots. Serve hot with blanched beansprouts, cilantro, Vietnamese ham (chả lụa), meat floss (thịt chà bông), and dipping sauce.
Pork and Jicama Filling: 2 teaspoons cooking oil 6 ounces ground pork 4 ounces jicama, diced 4 dried wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted and chopped ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon pepper
Preheat an empty skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the oil, when the oil begins to shimmer, add the pork. Cook the pork for about 2 minutes then add the rest of the ingredients. Continue to cook for 3-5 more minutes or until the pork is cook all the way through.
Nước Mắm Chua Ngọt – Dipping Sauce:
2 cloves garlic, minced 1-2 Thai chilies, minced (optional) 2 tablespoons lime juice, (approximately 1 small lime) 3 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons fish sauce 2 tablespoons water
Place the ingredients into a bowl and whisk or stir until the sugar dissolves. This sauce holds very well in the refrigerator, up to two weeks.
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