Vietnam Guide

Bánh căn Bánh căn

Bite-size rice cakes grilled over charcoal, with a quail egg or a duck egg on top. At Lệ the shell is crisp, and one dip is an onion sauce.

Bánh căn, Bánh căn
Photo: VinhNguyen.1257 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bánh căn, Bánh căn Food tours Bánh căn

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FromA Da Lat cake in the line of Hue bánh bèo, grilled over a charcoal brazier
Price15,000–30,000 VND at Cây Bơ and Lệ, 20,000–50,000 VND at 7 Tăng Bạt Hổ (Visit Lâm Đồng). Cây Bơ also lists 30,000 VND for five pairs; Lệ's text says 25,000 VND. A Cát: ask locally.

Texture

The cakes are bite-size. At Bánh Căn Lệ the shell is crisp.

How to enjoy it

Eat them early, as breakfast or a light snack, with a quail egg or a duck egg on the cake. Some stalls serve an onion dipping sauce.

Fillings change by door. Cây Bơ sets out quail egg, chicken egg, meat, shrimp, or a soft-yolk egg, with mắm nêm or xíu mại sauce. Lệ sets out minced beef, quail egg, chicken egg, or seafood, with fish sauce or mắm nêm, and a crisp shell. The door called Bánh căn Đà Lạt sets out quail egg, minced beef, or chicken egg, with xíu mại sauce and fish sauce. A Cát sets out chicken egg, chicken with beef, quail egg, quail egg with beef, seafood, chicken with squid, or quail egg with oyster, plus xíu mại and pickled vegetables.

Where to try it

The centre, especially around Hoa Binh.

56 Tăng Bạt Hổ, open 06:00–11:30. 7 Tăng Bạt Hổ, open 16:00–23:00. 27/44 Yersin, open 06:00–19:00. A Cát is at H55 (also H54-55) KQH Nguyễn Thị Nghĩa, with hours listed as 08:00–23:59 or 07:00–21:30.