Vietnamese Banh Uot is a delicious, steamed and rolled crepe that is filled with lightly seasoned minced pork and wood ear mushrooms. They are also known as Vietnamese Stuffed Rice Pancakes. If you are craving some, the good news is that you can make it right at home!

This recipe post is all about introducing the wonderfully delicious Vietnamese dish called banh uot. It has many monikers and is referred to by many with various names, but the result is the same – a tasty steamed rolled cake with a filing made of pork, wood ear mushroom and topped with fresh vegetables and dressed with a sweet and sour Vietnamese FISH SAUCE that makes this dish a delight.

While it does take a little skill to master the craft of making these noodle sheets that are the foundation of the stuffed rice cake, the technique is a skill that you can quickly master right at home.

I’m going to share with you in this post some of the tips and tricks on making this dish a success the first time. First, I’m going to guide you through all the steps for making your first rice crepes.

Next, I’m going to take you from making the delicious filling all the way to how to serve it on a delicious bed of fresh herbs and vegetables. These rolled rice cakes are tasty, savory, and wonderfully delightful that you will absolutely love making.

What is Banh Uot?

Banh Uot is a dish made with Vietnamese steamed rice rolls, which are thin sheets of steamed rice batter that is stuffed and rolled with minced pork, wood ear mushrooms, and sometimes jicama as it’s filling. It is generally served accompanied with bean sprouts, chopped lettuce, sliced cucumber, fresh basil and mint, fried shallots and onions, Vietnamese sausage pork roll (Cha Gio) and finally drizzled with Vietnamese sweet and sour fish sauce dressing sauce – Nuoc Mam. 

Is Banh Uot a crepe?

Banh Uot can be seen as both a crepe and a steamed rice roll.

I prefer referencing it as a crepe because the outer layer is a moist, yet super thin rice cake. The reason why some people may not refer to it as a crepe is because the cake doesn’t lay flat, similar to an omelette. Rather, it’s usually filled and rolled.

What are some other names for Banh Uot?

Banh Uot is often referred to as banh cuon. However, banh cuon can actually refer to other dishes as well, like spring rolls. Here are the various names that Banh Uot can go by:

• Banh Uot
• Banh Cuon
• Banh Cuon Chay
• Banh Cuon Nong
• Vietnamese Steamed Rice Rolls
• Vietnamese Steamed Rice Cakes
• Vietnamese Stuffed Pancake
• Rolled Rice Pancake
• Wet Rolled Rice Noodles

By breaking down the translation, you’ll have a better understanding of WHY this dish has so many names. Below are each of the words in the various naming conventions and what they mean:

• banh – means snack
• uot – means wet
• cuon – means rolled
• chay – vegetarian
• nong – means grilled

Banh Uot literally means wet snack. Since the rice roll is a wet batter and feels silky after cooked, that’s where the name is derived.

Banh Cuon means rolled snack. In general, this could mean ANY rolled snack, including a Vietnamese spring rolls. Banh cuon is a general name for all snacks that are rolled, and often, some people call Banh Uot as Banh Cuon.

Banh Cuon Chay – This is the vegetarian version where you do not include the minced pork in the recipe.

Banh Cuon Nong – This is the same banh uot recipe, but includes grilled meat on top.

For whatever reason, this dish gets lost in translation from Vietnamese to English. Thus, you’ll see this dish referred to several different ways.

What’s the difference between Banh Uot versus Banh Cuon?

Banh Uot and Banh Cuon refer to the same Vietnamese dish, which is made of steamed rice flour that is made into a rolled cake and filled with pork. The difference generally is that Banh Uot is made with ground pork as a filler where as banh cuon is made with grilled pork that is then minced. In addition, Banh Cuon also can be used to reference Vietnamese spring rolls.

What’s the difference between Banh Uot and Banh Xeo?

Banh Uot and Banh Xeo are two very popular Vietnamese dishes. The difference is that Banh Uot is made with rolled rice noodles whereas Bahn Xeo is made with a batter that has rice flour, turmeric and coconut cream. Banh Uot’s filling is typically made with minced pork whereas Bahn Xeo includes filling of pork belly, bean sprouts and shrimps inside that makes it look like an omlette.

Why is Banh Uot so popular?

These delicious rolled crepes are soft, served with a ton of fresh garnishes as well as cold fish sauce, which makes it a refreshing dish or snack anytime.

For me, I love it because I feel like it is a really light dish that I can just have three bowls and still feel light!

Visitors to Vietnam and Vietnamese restaurants seek out this stuffed pancake because it expresses cultural elements of the Vietnamese region through of its ingredients makeup. There is a beautiful marriage of yin and yang between its ingredients.

What’s the history on Banh Uot?

Banh cuon is an ancient dish and comes from North Vietnam. It is steamed rice rolls, filled or unfilled, what determines the name of the dish. Banh cuon (‘cuon’ = roll) refers to what westerners like to relate it to as stuffed rice ravioli and Banh uot (‘uot’ = wet) refers to non-filled rice noodles. However, both references are used interchangeably and there are more variations of rice ravioli with different fillings and toppings, largely dependent on the region.

Both dishes are garnished with delicious fresh herbs, Vietnamese pork sausage (Cha lua) and a dressing of sweet and sour fish dipping sauce. Banh uot is lightly filled with a mixture of ground pork and wood ear. This dish is eaten as an appetizer or as a snack. Today, Asian groceries, and specialty stores also have fresh rice sheets that can be cut to the desired size and shape, but it is better to make it fresh!

How do you pronounce Banh Cuon?

You pronounce Banh as in “bawn” and cuon is pronounced “kwoon”. 

How do you pronounce Banh Uot?

You pronounce Banh as in “bawn” and uot is pronounced “ut” which rhymes with put.

Is Banh Uot gluten-free and vegan?

If you leave out the ground pork, this recipe can be made to be gluten-free and vegan. It can be customized without impacting the essence of the recipe to be gluten-free and vegan.

Finding Ingredients for Banh Uot at the Asian Supermarket

As always, I prepare a list of the specific ingredients that you won’t find in traditional grocery stores. You’ll definitely want to make a separate trip to the Asian market to grab these ingredients:

Rice Flour

Tapioca Flour

Asian Shallots

Dried Wood Ear Mushrooms

Thai Basil

Vietnamese Mint

Fried Shallots

Pork Meat Loaf

If you wanted to cheat the batter, you can always buy the batter premade. 

Tips on Making Banh Uot at Home

Banh uot does require a little artisanship, but I’m sure that with a few tries, you will be able to master rice cake crepe mastering.

Just know that the first time you make it, it will NEVER turn out right. It is pretty easy to master AFTER trying a few times.

I know when I first started making them, often I cooked it to long so it made the rice cake way too thick. Even when it doesn’t come out perfect, know that it will still taste just as delicious.

After you master the rice flour, if you wanted to level up your banh uot recipe, you can add grilled pork for more protein.

Ingredients to Make Authentic Vietnamese Banh Uot at Home

Ingredients for Banh Uot Batter

1 1/2 cups of rice flour
1/2 cup of tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil

For the Filling:

1 pound of ground pork
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 red Asian shallots, diced
3 pieces of dried wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted in hot water, chopped
1 small white onion, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Accompaniments:

1/2 cup of fried shallots
1 medium cucumber, sliced
1 bunch of Thai basil, leaves plucked
1 bunch of Vietnamese mint, leaves plucked
10 ounces of mung bean sprouts, rinsed
nuoc mam (recipe here)

Instructions on How to Make Banh Out

Step 1 – Make the batter mixture

To make the batter, combine rice flour, tapioca flour and salt with the cold water. Whisk until the flour dissolves and forms a smooth batter and it’s completely combined.

Let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes (you can also prep it overnight).

Step 2 – Soak the Wood Ear Mushrooms

Put the mushrooms in a bowl, cover with water and soak for 20 minutes, then drain and thinly slice.

Step 3 – Make the Pork Filling

In a sauté pan, add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom.

When hot, add in the diced white onion and sauté until fragrant. Season with salt and allow the onions to get translucent.

Fry the garlic and shallots until fragrant, then add the pork, mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste.

Stir-fry for 4 minutes, then transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Step 4 – Prepare Your Station

Have a prepared well-oiled tray/cutting board/plate ready.

Step 5 – Cook the Batter 

In a sauté pan, add a drizzle of oil to coat the pan and heat over medium-high.

Pour a small ladleful (1/4 cup) batter into the pan, turning the pan in a circular motion to cover the base with a thin layer of batter.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the lid and slide the thin noodle sheet onto your oiled tray.

Immediately cover with lid and allow it to cook for about 30 seconds.

Remove the lid and flip the noodle sheet onto the oiled surface. Once you lift the lid, the noodle should be wet, opaque and almost see through.

Set the pan aside on a burner to cool until you make the next batch.

If you’re working with a partner, you can keep on cranking out the sheets.

Step 6 – Add the Filling and Roll

Place a heaping tablespoonful of the meat filling at the top of the cooked batter.

Fold over the sides and then roll-up the cake. Transfer onto a clean plate. Continue making the cakes until you run out of ingredients.

Repeat these steps using the remaining batter and pork filling, adding oil to the pan as necessary. Make sure the pan is well oiled between takes.

You should be able to see the minced pork and mushroom filling through the opaque rolled rice cakes.

Step 7 – Serve with Accompaniments

To serve, place the banh cuon rolls on a plate. Top with the bean sprouts, cucumbers, fresh herbs and steamed pork roll. Sprinkle with fried onions and serve with a generous side of sweet and sour fish sauce dipping sauce.

What do you eat with Banh Uot?

Since the dish has a lot of accompaniments like bean sprout, cucumber, fresh herbs, and pork rolls, you really don’t need anything else. If you wanted to level up your Banh Uot recipe, you could add in grilled pork as a side dish or even as a topper.

Conclusion for Making Banh Uot

Banh Uot’s deliciousness cannot be compared to any other dish. It is absolutely divine, and you’ll have to try it for yourself because I can’t do the dish the justice that it deserves in words.

It’s a delicate dish that is moist with a satisfying and fresh taste with all of its accompaniments.

Authentic Vietnamese Banh Uot Recipe

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Vietnamese Banh Uot is a delicious, steamed and rolled crepe that is filled with lightly seasoned minced pork and wood ear mushrooms. They are also known as Vietnamese Stuffed Rice Pancakes. If you are craving some, the good news is that you can make it right at home!

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Ingredients

Banh Uot Batter

• 1 1/2 cups of rice flour
• 1/2 cup of tapioca flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups cold water
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil

For the Filling

• 1 pound of ground pork
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 red Asian shallots, diced
• 3 pieces of dried wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted in hot water, chopped
• 1 small white onion, diced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Accompaniments

• 1/2 cup of fried shallots
• 1 medium cucumber, sliced
• 1 bunch of Thai basil, leaves plucked
• 1 bunch of Vietnamese mint, leaves plucked
• 10 ounces of mung bean sprouts, rinsed

Instructions

Step 1 - Make the Batter Mixture

1. To make the batter, combine rice flour, tapioca flour and salt with the cold water. Whisk until the flour dissolves and forms a smooth batter and it's completely combined.
2. Let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes (you can also prep it overnight).

Step 2 - Soak the Wood Ear Mushrooms

1. Put the mushrooms in a bowl, cover with water and soak for 20 minutes, then drain and thinly slice.

Step 3 - Make the Pork Filling

1. In a sauté pan, add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom.
2. When hot, add in the diced white onion and sauté until fragrant. Season with salt and allow the onions to get translucent.
3. Fry the garlic and shallots until fragrant, then add the pork, mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Stir-fry for 4 minutes, then transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Step 4 - Prepare Your Station

1. Have a prepared well-oiled tray/cutting board/plate ready.

Step 5 - Cook the Batter 

1. In a sauté pan, add a drizzle of oil to coat the pan and heat over medium-high.
2. Pour a small ladleful (1/4 cup) batter into the pan, turning the pan in a circular motion to cover the base with a thin layer of batter. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the lid and slide the thin noodle sheet onto your oiled tray.
3. Immediately cover with lid and allow it to cook for about 30 seconds.
4. Remove the lid and flip the noodle sheet onto the oiled surface. Once you lift the lid, the noodle should be wet, opaque and almost see through.
5. Set the pan aside on a burner to cool until you make the next batch.
6. If you’re working with a partner, you can keep on cranking out the sheets.

Step 6 - Add the Filling and Roll

1. Place a heaping tablespoonful of the meat filling at the top of the cooked batter.
2. Fold over the sides and then roll-up the cake. Transfer onto a clean plate. Continue making the cakes until you run out of ingredients.
3. Repeat these steps using the remaining batter and pork filling, adding oil to the pan as necessary. Make sure the pan is well oiled between takes.
4. You should be able to see the minced pork and mushroom filling through the opaque rolled rice cakes.

Step 7 - Serve with Accompaniments

1. To serve, place the banh cuon rolls on a plate. Top with the bean sprouts, cucumbers, fresh herbs and steamed pork roll. Sprinkle with fried onions and serve with a generous side of sweet and sour fish sauce dipping sauce.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Fabric Cloth especially for making traditional Vietnamese banh cuon (180cm x 150cm)
• 
  Flour for rice cake (Bot Banh Cuon) - 14 Oz.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 107 Total Fat: 1g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 12mg Sodium: 85mg Carbohydrates: 8g Fiber: 0g Protein: 3g