I know this may be obvious as I’m a Vietnamese American girl, but I really enjoy Vietnamese cuisine. I don’t get to eat it enough. Austin has an abysmal selection of Vietnamese restaurants in comparison to Houston. I think my personal appetite for Vietnamese food has finally pushed me to start learning how to cook Vietnamese dishes. As of right now, the only Asian recipes I know are Chinese and Chinese American. I wanted to start off with something pretty easy something, something I crave often, and something not easily found in Austin. Bánh cuốn appears to satisfy all three requirements.
Bánh cuốn (directly translates to “rolled cake”) is rice crepes rolled with minced pork and wood ear mushrooms. Apparently, it’s traditionally eaten as breakfast food but I could eat it any time of day. You dip it in a special dipping sauce and it’s usually garnished with cilantro and sauteed crispy scallions. Over Thanksgiving, my mom agreed to let me video her teaching me how to make bánh cuốn. Here’s part one. She’s showing me how to make the crispy sauteed scallions. I can nibble on these delightful crisps on their own. They taste like the fried onion crisps you top green been casseroles with.
My mom’s speaking in Vietnamese in the video and I’m translating. I apologize if I mumbled a little. I had just woken up.
To be continued here.