Fresh rice noodle rolls pho cuon is delicious and attractive dish for all ages, does not take much time to cook, both the rolls and interesting food, strange taste, used in the family reunion party, farewell the old year and welcome the New Year.
Pho cuon packages the flavors of pho and goi cuon in one neat little parcel. This Hanoi take on fresh spring rolls uses sheets of uncut pho noodles to encase fried beef, herbs and lettuce or cucumber.
The best place to find them is on Ngu Xa island on the capital’s Truc Bach Lake — specifically at 26 Nguyen Khac Hieu, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi.
Recipe
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the rice noodles and stir well. Let the batter rest for 1-2 hours.
- Season the beef with garlic, ginger, fish sauce, pepper and vegetable oil. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Add some oil in a heated wok. Fry some minced garlic till fragrant. Then toss in the beef and stir-fry on high heat until no longer pink. Do not overcook the beef. Add onion if desired.
- Place a plate on the steaming rack in the steamer. Steam the plate for 1-2 minutes till hot. Stir up the batter and ladle over just enough batter to cover the base of the plate. Steam for 4-5 minutes until set and quite translucent. Run a spatula around the edges of the rice noodle sheet and peel it off. Continue until finish the batter. You can stack the rice sheets on each other when done.
- Detach a rice sheet and place on a flat surface. Top with some fresh greens and stir-fry beef. Lift up one end and roll it up, gently but tightly. Serve immediately with some light dipping fish sauce.