RECIPE: banh cuon

when i'm stressed, all i can think about is cooking! and if there's anything i make on a regular basis, it's my favorite - banh cuon aka fawm kauv! simple, cheap and comforting... though meticulous in execution! but it definitely doesn't hurt that find complete therapeutic enjoyment in the latter! this wasn't always the case though. for me, the learning curve was pretty steep..!

because this dish is pretty time consuming, they're not very popular or common on menus - regardless of the plethora of asian restaurants you may have at your disposal. and even when they are, i felt like they're half-assed... where due diligence just isn't paid and therefore never as good as homemade!

i've come to see the assembly as an art - the way everything works independently in tandem with one another with perfect timing. if that makes any sense.

i've also experimented with several different pre-packaged rice/tapioca flour mixtures and have uncovered the secret... adding 1 additional cup of water beyond what the package calls for. of course, there will always be its differences, but in my experience doing this allows for the best result for the brand. and i've come to develop my own preference... and ways to tweak it to my preferred consistency - a thin, transparent crepe-like steamed rice wrapper!

the only thing i enjoy as much as making banh cuon is experimenting with different dipping sauces to pair them with - but that's a post for another rainy day! :) mmmm! sometimes, the sauce is what keeps these little rolls of heaven interesting!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: banh cuoun aka fawm kauv

steamed pork rolls. i still remember how much i'd crave these little bad boys after i'd moved away for college. it was during those days when i yearned for a little taste of home (or, missed my mum) that i found myself trying to make them, only to fail... every. single. time. call me crazy, but i still have vivid memories of watching the mixture go down my drain as i poured it out after many honest but failed attempts... and the feeling of defeat as it overcame me was just as traumatic.

a little dramatic here? yes, haha, but i can laugh about it now. then? then, i just remember feeling so damn sad each time i built enough courage to try again, convincing myself of only positive thoughts, only to fail and fail again.

it was because growing up, banh cuoun was what my mum always made me as a special treat because of how time-consuming they are! maybe it was just because it was her who made them, but they definitely were and still are one of the most nostalgic foods that always has a way of invoking an emotion of love and brings me back to a sense of security. strange how food can do that to a person...

needless to say, i didn't go on very long after that not knowing the trick to making fawm kauv. i made sure that during my next visit home, they weren't ready and waiting for me, as they have been in the past, and instead, spent my time in the kitchen with my mum making them together... her showing me the ways. :) after several more visits and the confidence from her guidance, she was phasing out her own involvement - and before i knew it, i was mastering them on my own!

i like to believe i've gotten the technique to making steamed rice rolls down to an art now; i'm even experimenting now. and for the record, yes, the pan does in fact make an incredible world of difference; that's what i didn't have in college, the right pan. i also had neither the knowledge to get my mixture right, nor the meticulous skill set required for the assembly too... so, thanks mum! <3 these days, it's not so much the rolls i'm worried about anymore, but moreso the endless ideas with dipping sauces to complement them! again, another blog post for yet another rainy day. :)

i foresee a tutorial on how to make these little guys in the near future with how often i make them. it just hasn't happened yet because it's one of those processes where rhythm and timing are everything and although it's fairly simple... the learning curve proved to be fairly steep, as i learned the hard way. haha. i don't know how i'd handle the relapse of another failed attempt if it happened! lols.