Vietnamese Steamed Rice Rolls with Beef, or Pho Cuon, are fresh rice noodle sheets wrapped around savory beef and herbs. Served with fish dipping sauce, these rolls offer a light, flavorful, and refreshing bite that captures the essence of Vietnamese cuisine.
Ingredients
Rice sheets:
3cupsrice flour
1cupstapioca starch
4½cupswater
1tspkosher salt
1Tbspolive oil, or any neutral oil
Marinade:
2lbbeef tenderloin, sliced
¼cupgarlic, chopped
1tspginger, peeled, chopped
½tspblack pepper
1tspfish sauce
1Tbsphoisin sauce
2Tbspolive oil, or any neutral oil
1tbspleeks, or shallot, chopped
2Tbspmushroom powder
Ingredients:
avocado oil , or any neutral oil
½onion, sliced
fish dipping sauce
Optional garnish:
red leaf lettuce
basil
culantro
perilla leaves
cilantro sprigs
bean sprouts
green onions, chopped
shallots, fried
peanuts, chopped
Instructions
In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the rice sheets. Stir well and then let the batter sit for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
Mix all the marinating ingredients in a bowl, then add the beef and mix to coat it evenly. Let it sit for no more than 30 minutes.
In a large pan on medium-high heat, add cooking oil and half the marinated beef. Cook for 5 minutes, tossing halfway, until browned. Remove and place on a plate, then repeat with the second batch — cooking in two batches keeps the beef from steaming instead of browning.
Add the sliced onions to the same pan, scraping up all the beef bits as they cook. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the beef back in along with any juices. Toss together for a minute and set aside.
Prepare a steamer and wrap the lid with a kitchen towel so condensation does not drip onto the rice sheets. Brush a flat plate that fits inside the steamer with a small amount of oil and place it in the steamer for about 3 minutes until very hot.
Stir the batter well and pour batter to thinly cover the plate. Steam for 5-10 minutes until the rice sheets become opaque and set. Steaming time depends on the size of your plate. Run a spatula around the edges of the rice sheet and gently peel off. Repeat the process until batter is finished. Layer the rice sheets on each other when done.
To assemble, lay one rice sheet flat. Add a small amount of beef, lettuce, basil, culantro, cilantro, and bean sprouts. Fold the bottom edge over the filling, fold in the sides, and roll tightly like a burrito.
Place seam-side down on a serving plate and cut each roll in half for a cleaner presentation if desired.
Top with chopped green onions, fried shallots, and chopped peanuts. Serve with fish dipping sauce either on the side or spooned lightly over the rolls.