Those who have ever set foot in Ha Giang Province in Northern Viet Nam must try ‘banh cuon’ (steamed rolled rice pancakes) served with pork bone broth which is one of the most famous Ha Giang dishes.

A plate of ‘banh cuon’ is the best breakfast for cold mornings in Ha Giang Province. Instead of fishing sauce, the Ha Giang people use hot pork bone broth to make a dipping sauce.

In Da Nang, you can enjoy this Ha Giang tasty and delicious dish at the Bape 23 eatery, set on 6 Luong The Vinh Street in Son Tra District.

The owner of the eatery, a native of Ha Giang, said main ingredients for making delicious plates of ‘banh cuon’ comprise rice, pork bones, wood ear mushrooms, minced meat, scallions, and fermented sliced bamboo shoots.

Rice should be soaked in clean water for 5 to 6 hours before being grinded into flour. Meanwhile, minced lean shoulder meat of pork is stir-fried with shredded wood ear mushrooms to make a filling.

When customers order, the eatery’s owner prepares rice flour, spreads a spoonful of wet batter over the closely woven steaming basket and then takes out the almost-transparent rice sheet with a bamboo stick.

Minced pork and wood ear mushrooms are then rolled in the rice sheet, ready to be served with dipping sauce.

These rolled up rice flour pancakes are best when served piping hot, still soft and delicate. Although seemingly slender and empty they have a savory filling of minced pork and mushrooms. Zest is also added by dunking the slippery parcels in pork bone broth. Diners could add some fermented bamboo shoots and chili to fortify their broth.

The eatery opens daily from 6.00am until 11.30am, but it closes on the 1^st and 15^th days of every lunar month.

By KHANH QUYEN - Translated by M.D