Vietnamese Pizza (Bánh Tráng Nướng)

After a long day of home schooling … cooking three meals per day, amongst household chores, I hardly have enough “me time” these days. I thought being in lockdown was like taking annual leave from work – relaxing. Ummmm … not quite. There just aren’t enough hours in the day  sometimes.

So I spend alot of my nights in bed, trolling recipes and watching people making delicious meals on YouTube … at 2am in the morning. Yep … I don’t get to sleep much these days.

So I came across this gem of a recipe on YouTube and it is commonly known as Vietnamese Pizza … because it looks like a pizza right?  Essentially it is just pan fried rice paper with eggs and different toppings. It is quite a light meal and ideal for a light lunch or even just a snack if you’re feeling peckish.

So here is my version of Bánh Tráng Nướng aka Vietnamese Pizza.

I always keep a couple of packets of rice paper in my cupboard. It is a staple in my house. Rice paper is so versatile … not just for summer rolls. I’m using the “Bamboo Tree” brand (sometimes known as the Three Bamboo brand). It’s one of the better brands apparently. I haven’t tried it on other brands, but I’m sure they will give the same results.

Firstly, get all your toppings ready. It is up to you what you want to add to your pizza. You can use any combination of toppings you want. You could use pork floss, fish, chicken, minced pork or beef … seafood such as prawns, mussels or other crustaceans, sausages, bacon and even cheese … I could go on and on.

For my pizza, I am using some chopped up ham … simple enough. Firstly I chopped some spring onions and added them to a little oil. Set aside for later. (I didn’t use alot of spring onions because I was actually making this for my daughter at the time and she doesn’t really like spring onions that much – so I added them here for visual purposes).

Now for the fun bit. I used a griddle pan for frying as I find it gives better results, but you could just use a large frying pan. I find though, that using a frying pan tends to cause burn spots, so keep the heat low. Turn the heat on to get the pan nice and hot and ready for action, then turn the heat to low.

Take 2 rice paper sheets and lay them on a flat surface. On one of the rice papers I added a drizzle of warm water – I used a pastry brush to spread the water all over the rice papers. You are looking to dampen the rice paper and not drench it so don’t add too much water.

Place the other rice paper on top of the damp one and press down firmly. You want the two rice papers to stick together. If the edges are still not sticking together, just brush with a little more water and press firmly (it doesn’t have to be perfect so don’t worry of some of the edges curls a little).

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Note: some recipes use just one rice paper – and it works well with just that one. When you use two papers stuck together, you get these little bubbles that appear on the surface of the rice paper when it’s being cooked … this makes the rice paper base more crispy rather than crunchy. (Crunchy can be a sign of undercooked rice paper).

Place the rice paper on the hot griddle – you will hear it start to crackle. Use the back of a large spoon and gently press down and rub all over the rice paper. As you do this, keep turning the rice paper around and flipping it over to distribute the heat. You want the rice paper to start turning white. This can take a few minutes so be patient. You may also find the rice paper start bubbling – this is fine, you can just press the spoon on top of the bubbles to deflate them if they are too big.

If the edges of the rice paper seem to curl in the heat, just use the back of the sppon to rub over the curled bits. Don’t worry, they will stick together eventually. Keep the rice paper on the heat until most of the rice paper has turned white-ish. This means that the rice paper is cooked.

Add a spoonful of the spring onions with the oil to the surface of the rice paper. Use a pastry brush (or back of a spoon) to spread it around evenly. Leave it for a minute or two to warm through.

Add your egg mixture to the centre of the rice paper. Use the spoon to spread it to the end. Don’t worry if it spills over to the pan. Lightly season the egg with a touch of salt.

Use the back of a spoon to carefull spread the egg mixture around the surface of the rice paper. Some of the egg mixture might spill off the edge but don’t worry if that happens …

… just let that spilt bit of egg cook for a few seconds then just fold it back on to the rice paper – no harm done.

Whilst the egg is still wet … add your other ingredients. I’m using simple chopped up ham this time. I just sprinkled it over the egg. You can add whatever ingredients you want at this point. I garnished with some fresh coriander.

Let the rice paper cook for a few more minutes until the egg is just cooked.

Once cooked through carefully transfer the “pizza” to a plate and drizzle with your favourite sauce. We are loading it up with lots of Sriracha sauce, crispy fried onions and some cracked black pepper.

To eat it, you can either cut them into slices like a pizza (scissors work best), or you can fold it over like a taco. It’s entirely up to you! Bon Appetit!

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I hope you give this recipe a try. It’s so easy. This recipe is so versatile and you can add whatever ingredients and sauces you want. There is no right or wrong way of making it. Add your favourite toppings and sauces and you will have made something amazing!

Please tag me on Instagram @sugar.and.sponge so I can see how you got on. Or leave me a message below.

Until next time.

~ Boss Mum xx