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Bánh Cuốn Hai Nam Saigon – Alhambra

Published

on August 15, 2009

in Banh Cong, Banh Cuon, Banh Tom Ho Tay, Restaurant Review, San Gabriel Valley and Vietnamese

. 9 Comments

Although I’m not certain, I have a sneaking suspicion that my non-food-obsessed friends might be a little afraid of offering up restaurant recommendations to me. I think it’s the slim possibility of a bad meal and a ridiculing review to follow that keeps them mum. I was recently made aware of this situation when making plans to lunch with my friends William and Anne from college. Since William grew up in Monterey Park and knew his way around the San Gabriel Valley’s panoply of delights, I asked him to choose our dining destination. William hemmed and hawed, and after a dozen or so email exchanges, he still couldn’t offer up a single restaurant name. His nervous reaction had me feeling unnerved and even questioning my restaurant snobbery. Am I really that difficult to please? It’s a distinct possibility.

I felt like I took a huge weight off William’s shoulders when I suggested Bánh Cuốn Hai Nam Saigon in Alhambra. I had been wanting to try this restaurant ever since gas•tron•o•my reader Sharon recommended it to me, and this was the clearly the perfect opportunity.

The small eatery was packed on the Sunday afternoon we dined. I was happy to see large groups of friends and smiling families gathering around communal tables sharing huge plates of banh cuon. The positive vibes emanating from patrons had me in good spirits and excited about my meal.

While we waited for a table to open up, my friends and I perused the large picture menu hung outside. [Click on the photo for a better look.]

One of the huge pluses of dining with people who “eat to live” was reigning supreme over the ordering. Vietnamese rice flour crêpes prepared in every which way are the specialty at Bánh Cuốn Hai Nam, so I ordered three different varieties to share. The Banh Cuon Dac Biet Hai Nam ($5.80) arrived first.

The restaurant’s “special” platter consisted of an ample mound of rice flour crêpes topped with chả lụa (Vietnamese pork sausage), bánh cóng (battered and deep-fried mung beans, shredded taro root, and shrimps), bánh tôm hồ tây (battered and deep-fried julienned sweet potatoes with shrimp), mint, fried shallots, cucumber, and blanched bean sprouts. We drenched our banh cuon in nuoc mam, which was available in a huge jug tableside.

In the pantheon of Vietnamese dishes, banh cuon is one of the easier ones to get right, just as long as the crêpes aren’t too thick and the toppings aren’t too greasy. The flavors here were right on and wholly satisfying. The varied selection of toppings made the dac biet platter a fantastic choice.

Next, we dug into Banh Uot Thanh Tri ($5.15). I specifically ordered this dish because I was curious as to what “Thanh Tri”-style banh uot entailed. Even after polishing off the plate, I couldn’t figure out what made it particularly notable.

When I arrived home, I powered up the Internet to investigate. I found that the dish originated in Thanh Tri, a neighborhood outside of Hanoi. I also found a Chowhound thread discussing the very topic. According to Alice Patis of Alice’s Guide To Vietnamese Banh, ”Thanh tri is basically just non-rolled, non-filled [crêpes].” I also asked my mother and grandmother their thoughts. They both believe that the only difference is semantics—Southerners call it banh uot, while Northerners call it banh uot Thanh Tri.

The bottom line is that the flavors are more or less “same, same,” especially when doused in nuoc mam.

Lastly, we went to town on the Banh Uot Cuon Nhan Thit ($5.25), crêpes stuffed with ground pork and wood ear mushrooms. The crêpes were nice and thin, while the filling was well-seasoned and plentiful. I would’ve appreciated a slightly warmer temperature, but it was solid product regardless.

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Bánh Cuốn Hai Nam Saigon
1425 E Valley Boulevard
Alhambra, CA 91801
Phone: 626-300-8079

Bánh Cuốn

Published

Gastronomer

on June 30, 2009

in Banh Cuon, Family Recipe, Recipe and Vietnamese

. 15 Comments

The literal translation for bánh cuốn is “rolled cakes.” A more apt translation would be “Vietnamese crêpes stuffed with ground pork and wood ear mushrooms.” In Vietnam, bánh cuốn is consumed for breakfast and as a late night snack.

For years, my Bà Ngoại (maternal grandmother) made bánh cuốn using a prefabbed batter that she purchased from the Vietnamese supermarket. The grocery store-bought batter yielded passable bánh cuốn, but my grandma always felt that the crêpes’ consistency was slightly off. While reading a local Vietnamese-language newspaper recently, Bà Ngoại stumbled upon a bánh cuốn recipe that looked very promising. She followed the instructions to a T and was very impressed with the results. The combination of rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch makes for a light and thin crêpe without a trace of glueyness.

For crêpes

2 cups rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5.5 cups water

For filling

1 pound ground pork
1 cup wood ear mushrooms
4 shallots, finely chopped
Fish sauce
Black pepper
Sugar
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Make crêpe batter

In a large bowl, whisk together rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch. Whisk in water and oil until blended. Let the batter rest for one full hour before proceeding. [See images of the various flours' packaging after the jump.]

Make filling

While the crêpe batter is resting, prepare the meat filling.

In a small bowl, cover the wood ear mushrooms with boiling water and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain and chop the mushrooms.

In a small skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the ground pork and the shallots and cook over moderate heat until no pink remains. Break up the meat with a spatula. Stir in the chopped mushrooms. Season with fish sauce, black pepper, sugar, and MSG to taste. Set aside.

Mise en place

The process of making bánh cuốn requires one to work quickly and efficiently, so make sure that all ingredients are within reach before starting—batter, filling, and additional oil.

Assemble bánh cuốn

Grease a large plate using a non-stick spray or a paper towel dipped in oil. Set aside.

Heat a ten-inch non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Lightly mist pan with non-stick spray if using a plain skillet. Ladle in about a half cup of batter, quickly swirl to evenly coat the skillet, and then quickly pour the excess back into the batter bowl. Note: the batter should sizzle when it hits the pan. Cover the pan with a lid for approximately 30 seconds.

The crêpe is ready to be inverted once the edges start to release themselves. Invert the crêpe onto the greased plate in one swift motion. Don’t worry if the crêpe’s sides fold inward. Be sure to re-grease the plate after every three crêpes or so.

Spoon about one tablespoon of the pork and mushroom filling into the center of the crêpe. Fold in the sides to cover the filling and form a neat rectangle. Transfer the finished bánh cuốn onto a different plate.

It is best to fill and fold the bánh cuốn while the crêpes are cooking. The time that it takes to fill and fold the bánh cuốn is comparable to the time that it takes for the crêpes to cook. The bánh cuốn making process goes by rather quickly once a rhythm is established.

Serve bánh cuốn warm or at room temperature with nuoc cham. Garnish with fried shallots, steamed mung bean sprouts, julienned cucumbers, and cha lua (Vietnamese pork loaf).

Makes approximately 30 to 40 bánh cuốn.

Continue reading ‘Bánh Cuốn’

Hanoi Highlights I

Published

Gastronomer

on October 16, 2008

in Banh Cuon, Bun Cha, Bun Thang, Cha Ca Thanh Long, Cha Gio, Hanoi, Mien, Pho Cuon, Pho Xao, Scenes, Street Food, Unique Meats, Vietnamese and Xoi

. 3 Comments

The first stop on our long road back to America was the capital city of Hanoi. It’s hard to believe that I spent an entire year in Vietnam without venturing further north than Hue, but it’s probably because I knew I would be heading in this direction before peacing out. The Astronomer, on the other hand, spent quite a bit of time in Hanoi for business and definitely knows his way around town.

We flew from Saigon to Hanoi on Jetstar Pacific and arrived after the sun had set. We dropped off our bags in our hotel room located in the Old Quarter and headed off to find some good eats. Since The Astronomer knows the Old Quarter (and all of its secrets) like the back of his hand, he led me to Xoi Yen because I am a sticky rice fiend.

I went for the classic xoi xeo (7,000 VND)—sweet sticky rice topped with fried shallots and sheets of mung bean paste that resemble Parmesan cheese. The Astronomer ordered a portion of xoi ngo (15,000)—sticky rice with corn topped witdh cha mo (pork forcemeat), mung bean paste and fried shallots. The two orders of sticky rice were served with a bowl of pickled cucumbers on the side. The spicy and sour cucumbers contrasted nicely with the sweet sticky rice.

Still a bit hungry after our sticky rice snack, The Astronomer and I stumbled upon a woman serving up an impressive number of Northern dishes in a cramped street side set up. We ordered three pho cuon (3,000 VND each) and two nem chua ran (3,000 VND each). Unfortunately, both the pho cuon (grilled meat and herbs wrapped in rice noodle sheets) and nem chua ran (deep-fried fermented pork) turned out to be ho hum. I don’t think it was the cook’s fault that these dishes didn’t rock. When it comes down to it, pho cuon and nem chua ran aren’t innately brilliant dishes. Pho cuon lacks a proper dipping sauce (neon orange chili sauce from a squirt bottle doesn’t count), while nem chua ran needs a good punch of fresh herbs.

After dinner, we returned to our hotel room and crashed. I had a hard time sleeping my first night away from Saigon—there’s something about the people and the spirit of the city that tugs and pulls at me. I’ve moved around quite a bit in my adult life so it was really a novel sensation to actually yearn to be somewhere. Although it took a while, I eventually caught some much-needed Zs.

The next morning didn’t begin as bright or as early as we had hoped. I was a bit bummed about missing our hotel’s complimentary breakfast, but my frown was quickly turned upside down with one wiff of cha ca. Cha ca is hands down the greatest dish to come out of Hanoi. Hearty chunks of white fish marinated in tumeric are fired up tableside with a forest of green onions and fresh dill. The fish and greens are eaten with an assortment of accompaniments including vermicelli rice noodles, peanuts, herbs, fish sauce and fermented shrimp paste. The dish is so good that I don’t mind reeking of fish and dill for the rest of the day.

Even though Cha Ca La Vong receives all of the accolades and press (including a visit from Andrew Zimmerman of Bizarre Eats), those in the know head to Cha Ca Thang Long (80,000 per portion) for this local delicacy. And let’s set the record straight—there’s nothing bizarre about fried fish with dill.

The rest of the day was spent buying train tickets to Sapa and walking around Lake Hoan Kiem.

Two scholars—The Astronomer and Ly Thai To.

Shady trees and winding paths—two lovely non-edible Hanoi offerings. After exploring the city scape, The Astronomer and I went on a run that consisted of multiple laps around the lake and dodging tourists in the Old Quarter—a pleasure compared to our options in Saigon.

For dinner we stayed in the Old Quarter and noshed on barbecued pigeon (chim quay - 45,000 VND) and rice noodles with beef (pho xao – 20,000 VND). Pickled cucumbers and dish of kalamansi, chili and salt were served on the side.

The barbecued pigeon was succulent, but a bit too oily. We dipped the meat in a simple sauce made from kalamansi juice, chillies and salt to combat the oiliness. The pho xao was a solid plate of carbs—it’s hard to mess up stir-fried noodles, veggies and meat smothered in a light gravy.

Because dinner never ends with just one eatery for us, The Astronomer and I jammed over to the street side vendor we discovered the previous evening and ordered a plate of mien xao cua Thai Lan (20,000 VND). The vendor recognized our faces and quickly wok’d up a heap of glass noodles with crabmeat and fresh beansprouts. Whereas the mien xao cua served at the Crab Shack in Saigon contains lots of fresh crab meat, the crab in this dish tasted strangely crunchy and not at all fresh.

The following day we met up with “Teddy,” a former editor of mine, at Dac Kim for a lunch of nem cua be (crab-stuffed eggrolls) and bun cha.

The Astronomer was impressed with this eatery on an earlier visit, and Teddy guaranteed that the place was great, so it really wasn’t a surprise that both the bun cha and nem cua be were executed outrageously well. Along with Cha Ca Thanh Long, Dac Kim is definitely a not-to-be-missed stop during a trip to Hanoi.

We took Teddy’s advice and hit up Banh Cuon Gia Truyen in the Old Quarter for dinner. This woman makes each banh cuon fresh to order.

Banh cuon—delicate rice flour crepes stuffed with ground pork and wood ear mushrooms—are another one of Hanoi’s specialties. Even though the banh cuon here was comparable to what we’ve eaten in Saigon, a portion cost twice as much. We also had to fork over some extra dong for cha (pork forcemeat) because it wasn’t included. Not cool, Hanoi. Banh cuon without cha is like Oreo cookies without the cream in the center.

Street side roastie.

After our puny plate of banh cuon, The Astronomer took me to an eatery specializing in eel. The first time he ate here, The Astronomer ordered a bowl of noodle soup with crunchy fried eels and glass noodles, which were good but not great. On this occasion, we listened to the waiter and ordered stir-fried glass noodles with eggs and topped with the same fried eels, which turned out to be really spectacular.

Our third course of the evening was a bowl of bun thang at 12 Hang Dieu Street. Compared to stellar Vietnamese noodle soups like bo kho, bun rieu and bun mang, this Northern-style chicken soup just left me bored. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a pretty good bowl of soup, but it can’t hit the spot like the big dogs can.

For dessert, The Astronomer picked up a plate of profiteroles from a random French bakery in the Old Quarter. Although they looked appetizing, the cream tasted like bubblegum. The Astronomer ate one and we gave the rest to a street vendor. Bubblicious puffs just ain’t our thing.

The following morning we cruised the bay of Halong.