Banh Cuon is probably one of those strongly influenced by French cuisine. It is a thin crepe-like rice savory pastry, with some meat and mushroom wrapped inside. The process of making banh cuon resembles that of making crepes. The only difference is that the pastry is steamed from a rice-based mixture, instead of light-oil fried from wheat-based liquid like crepes. This gives the dish a light yet unforgettable flavor and a thin and delicate texture.

The pastry is completed by the accompanying sauce- a mixture of fragrant fish sauce blended with a light sour of lime, Cha lua- Vietnamese Pork sausage, and fried onions. Vegetarians can avoid the meat component by requesting for a plain Banh Cuon (Banh Cuon Chay), which does not change the taste dramatically.

Banh Cuon can be found on many local eateries in local markets or every few blocks. Look for a steaming pot and a bright yellow sign ¨Banh cuon¨ and you will be served this delicious delicacy for just a dollar.

            

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Its name is a little bit confusing, it actually is not a cake at all, but a dish of thin rice noodles woven into intricate bundles. In spite of the texture and taste quite similar to vermicelli‘s, fresh bánh hỏi is distinctively thin and soft.

Processing bánh hỏi entails simple steps and a few ingredients. Firstly, soaked rice is ground with clean water by a mill, creating a flour solution.

Next, cook the flour, stir it regularly until it starts coagulate, well-done and ready enough for pressing. The pressing machine turns the dough into long thin strands that are grouped in sheet, placed on banana leaves and then steamed for a while. Cool them and finally fresh bánh hỏi is done.

Traditionally, bánh hỏi is brushed with chopped scallions or garlic chives sautéed in oil, and commonly served with chạo tôm or grilled pork. To make chạo tôm, shrimp paste is molded around a sugar cane stick and then broiled. Place chạo tôm or grilled pork on the noodle sheet, roll it up, pour spicy fish sauce on and then gradually enjoy this perfect combination.

                        

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Bánh ít is one of specialties of the central in Vietnam, commonly used in regional death anniversaries and marriage rituals as well, but now it has become a snack that you can enjoy anytime. 

There are two versions of bánh ít: the sweet one is called “bánh ít lá gai” and the salty one is known as “bánh ít tôm thịt”, both of which are unique and appetizing.

The sweet cake is simply a mung bean paste ball covered by dough made from the mixture of grounded “gai” leaves, sugar and sticky rice flour. Sweetened ground coconut sometimes is used instead of mung bean. After folding banana leaves into a cone shape, drop the ball into it and then fold in four sides, creating a pyramid shaped cake. Steaming is the last step to bring out the cake a glossy deep black color stemming from “gai” leaves, a sweet taste of sugar, mung bean and glutinous rice, and a delicate aroma of banana leaves and “gai” leaves. 

For the salty cake, minced pork meat, prawn, mashed mung bean onion and seasonings are stirred fried until well-done and thick to make the filling and the dough is only made of rice flour. The cake could be either traditionally wrapped into banana leaves or not.

Indeed, both versions of little cake are so mouthwatering and small so you could hardly imagine how fast you relish the whole cake, but enjoying them gradually is much better, of course.

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A good dish for cold days in Vietnam, “bánh gối” intrigues guests at first sight for its pretty baby pillow shape and its colorful sauce. Like most cakes in Vietnam, bánh gối is not baked but deep fried to create a charming yellow pastry skin, crispy and fragrant.

Firstly, water and rice flour are mixed to perfect ratio, making soft and moist dough. Next, glass noodle, wood ears, kohlrabi and mushroom, all tendered and finely chopped, are blended with minced pork and seasonings; this is an easy recipe for a flavorful filling.

It is more interesting with the design task: add the filling in the middle of the round pastry skin, fold the skin into a half-circle and then skillfully stick the edges together to make the pillow pattern. Finally, drop the puffs into heated oil until their skins turn golden and crispy.

Not less important is making dipping sauce with fine proportion of garlic, chili, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, and water.

The sweet salty cake is also served with some fresh herbs such as lettuce, coriander to reduce its oily taste and raise guests’ appetite.

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“Bánh rán” is a delicious finger food for breakfast in Vietnam.

There are two main kinds of bánh rán, namely salty cake and sweet one with the latter being much more common than the former. While the filling of sweet cake is sweet mashed mung bean, that of salty cake is quite similar to pillow cake‘s, a mixture of minced meat, prawn, glass noodle, veggie and etc. What is more, among different types of sweet cake, the cake coated with sesame seeds is the best choice due to its moderate sweet taste, crispy cover and subtle fragrant.

The dough is a blend of glutinous rice flour, rice flour, mashed potato and sugar. Mashed mung bean filling is rolled into ball shape, wrapped inside the dough and then rolled over a plate of sesame to make its sesame coat. After deep-fried, the cake is getting golden brown, crispy and aromatic.

Hiding under that crispy cover is the sweet and nutty flavor of potato, rice, and mung bean.

So relish it and discover how tasty it is!

                        

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Banh Duc is considered one of the most rustic and simple cakes in HaNoi cuisine.

“Bánh đúc lạc” is the most popular in the north. The main ingredients are non-glutinous rice flour or corn-flour and peanut. Firstly, grind soaked rice with water in a grist mill; next, add lime juice to the flour solution with fine proportion to bring the cake a certain glutinous degree; then boil the solution, add peanuts to enhance nutty flavor, and stir it continuously to prevent it being burnt.

When well-done, bánh đúc has a jelly shape and mild flavor. It is served either hot or cold, commonly with soy sauce and sometimes with tofu. The buttery taste of peanut, rice flour, the spicy sweet flavor of soy sauce and the cool of soft tofu are mingled perfectly together to bring us a cool dish in hot days. It is also interesting to relish a hot bow of bánh đúc topped with ground pork, grilled ground spawns, fried onions, roasted sesame seeds and herbs, called “bánh đúc thịt”, a good treat in the winter.

In the southern, instead of being ivory-white, bánh đúc is distinctive itself with green color extracted from fragrance grass and the cool sweet taste coming from syrup or coconut juice.

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