Bánh Căn in Saigon

Bánh Căn in Saigon

Some Eating Saigon! readers might recall that a few months ago, Hai and I joined his family for a very fun three-day excursion to Nha Trang, a very wonderful beach resort along the south-central coast of Vietnam.  You might also recall (and not be very surprised) that our adventure there included searching for great Nha Trang street food.  And we succeeded! 

The very first evening in Nha Trang – the very first meal, actually – turned out to be a big winner!  We stumbled upon a sweet, elderly woman, sitting on her stool, hunched over a simmering tray of bánh căn.  Bánh căn, rice cakes cooked in little clay dishes over a pot of hot coals – crispy and crunchy on the outside and smooth and chewy on the inside.  Very yummy!

Well, imagine my surprise when I focused more carefully for the first time on a small cooking grill under a faded restaurant sign, Phan Rang 2, in my neighborhood that I’d actually walked past a hundred times before! BEHOLD –  Bánh Cănwas being prepared – just a few blocks from my house!

Better yet, I hadn’t yet eaten that morning!.  Certainly there was time for a small detour on my morning walk.

Chào buổi sáng! (good morning).  The two young woman at the grill seemed a bit taken aback, suddenly finding an ông táy (old white guy) at there doorstep.  Nevermind – “xin cho anh, Bánh Căn”, placing my order for the tasty treats I recognized on the stove.

They invited me to come inside and be seated at a table.  Which I did.  But, I quickly returned to the grill to savor the bánh căn preparation process.

First, each little clay dish was oiled.  Then, the rice flour batter was poured into each.  After a few moments, the egg mixture was added.  The eggs had already been whipped, so I wasn’t sure whether it was quail, chicken or duck eggs that I’d be enjoying?

Just at the right moment, as the rice cake batter began to simmer, then bubble and thicken, it was time to add the topping.

WOW!  In Nha Trang, there was no topping.  Here a good-sized tôm (shrimp) was placed on some; a ring of mực (calamari) on others; and some thịt heo xay (ground pork meat) on others.

I hadn’t been asked how many bánh căn I wanted – nor did I think to state how many when I ordered.  But, now, it looked like I would be eating very generously this morning.   No Problem!

Now that all the ingredients had been assembled, it was time to bake each little cake in its individual baking dish. What a sight!

A few moments later,  time to uncover the little rice flour masterpieces, flip them, and allow the top side of each cake (and its topping) to sizzle a bit more directly over the heat of the burning coals.

I returned to my seat inside and awaited what would turn out to be – a beautiful and amazingly delicious treat!

Bánh căn is all about texture! A crispy, crunchy rice exterior shell.  A smooth creamy rice-paste interior.  And, in the middle of our small cakes was a layer fluffy, whipped quail egg.

We got to mix our own bánh căn dipping sauce, blending mắm nêm (salty fermented watery purple-colored sauce), nước mắm (fish sauce), chopped green onions, and ground red chili.  Very very yummy.

A full 7 bánh căn pieces, delicious and filling cost me 50,000 vnd ($2.40 USD).

Bánh căn at Phan Rang 2 easily won our YUM YUM rating here on Eating Saigon!’s Yum Meter.

Open 9 a.m. until 11 p.m.

Phan Rang 2
CC 20 Trường Sơn
15th Ward
District 10

08-3506-6168

www.quanangonhoihoi.com

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