Banh Cuon is made of rice flour. Thoroughly selected rice is soaked overnight, then ground with a stone mortar. Food preservatives are put into the flour to make the rice sheets softer and smoother. A screen of cloth used to mold the rice sheets covers an opening pot of boiling water. Flour is spread on the screen and covered with a lid. After a few minutes, a bamboo stick is used to strip the thin layer of flour off the screen. Then it is rolled up and sprinkled with fried onions.
A small village in a suburb of Hanoi is famous for its Banh Cuon. People there serve it with a dressing comprised of lean meat, shrimp, mushrooms, dried onions, fish sauce, and pepper. All the ingredients are stir-fried and rolled into a Banh Cuon.
Banh Cuon is delicious when it is very thin, white, and sticky. It is even tastier when dipped in a sweet, sour, and spicy sauce.
