BANH CUON HAI NAM: VIETNAMESE ROLLED NOODLES, A 50-YEAR-OLD RESTAURANT IN SAIGON

Banh Cuon, also known as Vietnamese rolled noodles, are made of minced pork, minced wood ear, minced onion, and minced mushroom wrapped in a hot, rolled sheet of rice-flour noodles. Fish sauce with a sweet and sour taste is used to dip the rolls. The addition of some fresh herbs and fried onions to the dish will enhance its flavor.

Vietnamese Rolled Noodles

You can find Banh Cuon all across Saigon, even though it’s originally from the north of Vietnam. It’s also rather popular in the south. One of my favourite things to eat in Vietnam for a light dinner or snack is banh cuon. Banh Cuon Hai Nam was a restaurant that I frequented on many occasions during my stay in Saigon because of its convenient location and affordable prices.

Banh Cuon Hai Nam, 50 years old, in Ho Chi Minh City

The view of the open kitchen area making rice rolls

What is Banh Cuon?

Banh Cuon is a traditional Vietnamese cuisine made with rice flour pancakes that are steamed and rolled. The pancakes are soft and have a little slippery texture. Inside, you’ll find minced pork and ‘tree ears,’ a type of black fungus. Crispy fried shallots garnish it. Nuoc Cham, a Vietnamese dipping sauce, is a standard accompaniment to Banh Cuon and nearly all Vietnamese cuisine. You can use your chopsticks, and dip portions of the pancakes into the dipping sauce.

“Rolled cake” is the literal translation of Banh Cuon. This fragrant and light dish is from northern Vietnam and is a popular breakfast and snack item there.

How to make Banh Cuon?

The batter is created with rice flour, tapioca flour, water, and salt; it sits while the filling is cooking. Fry the pork mince with the onion and “tree ears” until they’re finely diced, then season with fish sauce.

A soft, elastic pancake is made by spreading the batter very thinly and then steaming it. The conventional method involves placing a specialized steam basket over a saucepan of boiling water. Spread the batter out onto a piece of fabric that has been stretched over the top of the steam basket. Using a bamboo stick, the pancake is peeled off the fabric.

These days, most people who make pancakes use a covered skillet; the pancakes steam in the pan until all the water evaporates, which takes about a minute. Steamed pancakes can be made automatically at some Vietnamese street shops using little steam machines and a short conveyor belt; all the cook has to do is fill and wrap them up.

Each steamed rice flour pancake is filled with a scoop of filling, topped with fried onions, and served with dipping sauce. Common accompaniments to the rolls include bean sprouts, cucumber, and Cha Lua, or Vietnamese ham.

Overview of Banh Cuon Hai Nam

Banh Cuon Hai Nam has been open for more than 50 years and is situated on Cao Thang Street, near to a row of residences and apparel stores. The interior space is rather deep, with two rows of tables and chairs, and has its own parking lot despite the frontage being barely two meters.

The chef pours the dough as soon as a customer places an order, even though the business is busy and does not use a machine to make rice paper. In order to ensure that the finished dough is smooth and neither watery or lumpy, she disclosed that the mixing process is crucial: “We use rice flour mixed with tapioca starch in a reasonable ratio”.

Each stage appears easy at first, but the chef needs to be quite competent to roll the cake fast and spread the dough. The baker must first evenly pour the dough, spread it thinly, then cook the cake according to timing. To prevent the cake from tearing, the thin layer of dough must then be quickly withdrawn from the steamer.

The cake’s interior is packed with dried prawns, wood ear mushrooms, and minced pork after it has just been fried to a tender and exquisite crust. To maintain sanitation, the eatery fries its own fried onions rather than purchasing them from other sources.

Furthermore, the deep flavour and Southern taste of the handmade dipping sauce satisfy even the pickiest customers. To lessen the sensation of fullness, a serving of banh cuon also includes shredded lettuce in addition to blanched bean sprouts.

The prices are printed on the menu, so you can easily choose the dish

Location and opening hours

Address: No. 11A, Cao Thang Street, District 3.

Opening hours: 6:30 AM to 10:00 PM Everyday

How to get there:

-By motorbike: You can get to Banh Cuon Hai Nam by your motorbike, the restaurant has a parking lot in front of it. If you are in District 1, it just takes about 15-20 minutes to District 3, depending on traffic jams.

-By taxi or Grab car: You can show your driver the address of Banh Cuon Hai Nam, or you can book a car from the Grab app, it just takes about 40.000 to 60.000 VND (1.6 to 2.4 USD) depending on your address.

The menu

Although there are many different Vietnamese dishes on the menu at Banh Cuon Hai Nam, including various noodle soup and roll dishes, I believe that Banh Cuon is the major dish they sell and the reason for their reputation.

The restaurant’s menu is printed in Vietnamese but has English descriptions to make ordering easier for foreigners.

Prices: Range from 30.000 VND to 60.000 VND (1.2 to 2.4 USD)

The Highlights of Banh Cuon Hai Nam

I started my meal with their standard Banh Cuon, which I imagine is the first item every customer orders when they enter the restaurant. On the platter were two sizable noodle rolls stuffed to the brim with minced pork, a handful of blanched bean sprouts and shredded cabbage, and a dusting of aromatic, crispy shallots. The noodle rolls were accompanied by cha lua, a side dish of Vietnamese sausage or ham. The cha lua wasn’t bad, but the rolls were the most delicious part.

Lastly, sauce is an essential component of Banh Cuon. Nuoc Cham is the name of this Vietnamese fish sauce kind. The sauce had a salty-sweet flavour, and it would be remiss of you not to garnish it with chopped fresh chillies.

It would be honest to say that this Saigon institution serving Banh Cuon is never empty. If you want to visit the restaurant during the main courses, you should probably go early because there’s a good chance they’ll be full. Many customers are in agreement on the cake’s excellence because of the broad experience with tasty classic flavors.

The mixture is enhanced with minced pork, wood ear mushrooms and small prawns, which are encased in a thin, silky and chewy dough. In contrast to other restaurants, Hai Nam uses finely chopped lettuce as an accompaniment rather than herbs, which gives it a unique flavor. Indulge in the delectable cake without breaking your heart, thanks to the mild dipping sauce.

In addition, you can try some Banh Beo and Banh Tom Dau Xanh at this restaurant.

Banh Beo

I chose to taste their take on banh beo, or Vietnamese water fern cakes, with my banh cuon. Banh beo is thicker and stickier than the thin-wrapped banh cuon; it resembles a pancake but is significantly creamier and has more sugar. The batter tasted just like coconut milk and had the texture of a thicker custard.

Bloating Fern-Shaped Cake, which is one of the delicious Vietnamese cuisine

Price: 44.000 VND per dish (1.76 USD)

In my opinion, in comparison to the banh cuon, it was decent, but not great.

Conclusion

Famous among Saigon residents for its banh cuon, a type of noodle roll popular in northern Vietnam, is Banh Cuon Hai Nam.

I recommend Banh Cuon Hai Nam when you visit Saigon, this will be the best experience.