Banh cuon are the whisper-thin steamed rice rolls you see gliding out of specialist shops all over Vietnam, usually eaten for breakfast. The silky sheets are wrapped around a savoury filling of pork mince and wood ear mushrooms, then showered with crispy fried shallots.
They taste impossibly delicate, but here's the good news: you don't need a traditional steaming cloth setup to make them. A good non-stick frying pan with a lid does a very respectable job of the rice sheets.
Served warm with a bowl of tangy nuoc cham for dipping, they make a lovely light lunch or a starter that'll genuinely impress. The first sheet or two is always a practice run, so don't stress.
