banh cuon help!

[relizabeth]

I bought a package of banh cuon mix at the Vietnamese supermarket today. I watched you tube clips on how to make it, but my attempts in a frying pan and on a stretched tea towel over a steamy pot were dismal failure! Very thick and gross. Any advice for next time?

[mamachef]

Did you use a silicone brush to paint the mixture on the skillet's bottom? The "crepe" method doesn't work for these, unfortunately....it dries and then cooks too fast to distribute evenly, resulting as you said, in thick wrappers.

[relizabeth]

I did not use a silicon brush to paint on the batter. How hot is your skillet if you do it this way? How do you know when it is done? Do you cover it?

[mamachef]

Okay, the skillet should be med-high. Paint the mixture on, and you'll be able to see it dry, almost "lift," starting at the edges and then moving towards the middle, at which point, the moment it's dry, give it a quick flip. Fingers are fine for this; actually better than an implement which can tear it. It will start out glossy, and as it dries will go more matte. Definitely do NOT cover the pan....additional steam won't allow them to set properly for the pan-method. When you've flipped it and it's fully matte, they're done....it's a bit of trial and error, re: temp, etc, but you should be able to turn out a good batch, but it's de riguer that you totally wreck the first 2-3 that you practice on.

[relizabeth]

Do you paint the pan with veg oil first?

[mamachef]

If nonstick, no, but you need to really "know" your pans and how they heat. If regular, a mere droplet, rubbed in w/ a paper towel. Otherwise, they'll fry, which is not the result you want at all - the dry-skillet method is almost more like stovetop baking.