Vietnamese Grilled Rice Paper; Dalat Pizza
This banh trang nuong recipe grills rice paper over a hot pan until crisp, then sets an egg, minced pork and dried shrimp on top. The base shatters like a cracker, the egg holds everything together, and the green onion and chilli sauce finish it. One serving is about 137 g.
Banh Trang Nuong — 'grilled rice paper' — is the signature street snack of Dalat, the hill town in Vietnam's Central Highlands, where vendors grill rice paper over charcoal braziers and top it with egg and savoury bits. Visitors nicknamed it 'Vietnamese pizza' for its round shape and toppings, but the crisp rice-paper base and egg wash are entirely its own.
Pairs well with: Iced tea, pickled vegetables & chilli sauce
Provenance
Vietnam
Dalat Street Snack
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
30m
10m prep • 20m cook
Batch Yield
4 Servings
299 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 137 g
Technical Skill
Easy
Easy (Grill Pan)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Inappropriate
Dinner
Inappropriate
Snack & Tea
Ideal Light Bite
Dalat Street Snack
Photo: Blueconcorde, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $1–2 per serving at home (USD)
A good banh trang nuong is judged by the base: brittle and golden, never soggy, with the egg just set.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Toppings Ready
10 Mins • Chop & Soak
Soak the dried shrimp for 10 minutes, then drain and chop fine. Chop the green onions, crumble the pork, crack each egg into its own small bowl, and melt the butter. Set everything within arm's reach of the pan.
Maestro Tip: Have every topping within arm's reach — once the paper hits the heat, a round cooks in about 3 minutes.
2 Mins Medium heat, ~180°C (350°F)
Set a heavy pan or flat grill plate over medium heat and brush it lightly with melted butter. Let it heat for 2 minutes — the paper needs a hot surface from the first second.
A heavy cast-iron pan holds heat best and stops the paper from steaming instead of crisping.
Done when: A drop of water flicked in sizzles and vanishes at once.
1 Min Medium heat, ~180°C (350°F)
Lay one rice paper round flat on the pan and brush the top lightly with melted butter. It will soften for a few seconds, then start to firm up — that is the moment to work fast.
If the paper curls, press it flat with a spatula for a few seconds.
Done when: The paper lies flat, glistening with butter, and begins to stiffen at the edges.
3 Mins per round Medium heat, ~180°C (350°F)
Crack one egg onto the centre of the paper and spread it thin with the back of a spoon, edge to edge. Scatter a quarter of the pork, dried shrimp, sweetcorn and green onion over the egg. Cook until the egg is set and the pork crumbles are cooked through.
Spread the egg all the way to the rim — it is the glue that holds the toppings on.
Done when: Egg is set and opaque; pork crumbles are browned and cooked through.
1 Min per round Medium heat, ~180°C (350°F)
Keep cooking until the edges lift and the base turns golden and brittle. Fold the round in half, then in half again, and lift it off the pan.
Listen for it: a done round crackles faintly when you lift an edge with the spatula.
Done when: Base is golden and brittle at the edges; the round holds its shape when lifted.
1 Min Serve hot
Zigzag mayonnaise and chilli sauce over the top, cut into wedges and serve at once. Repeat with the remaining rounds.
Make rounds one at a time and serve each as it comes off the pan — they wait for no one.
Done when: Sauces sit in thin lines on a crisp, golden surface.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Eat within minutes, while the paper is still brittle — it softens as it cools. Cut into wedges and pick it up with your fingers, like a slice of pizza.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
299
kcal / serving
Protein
15g
Complete AA
Carbs
13g
Complex
Fats
21g
Healthy
| Energy | 299 kcal |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g |
| Fat | 21 g |
| Fibre | 0.7 g |
| Sugar | 0.9 g |
| Sodium | 637 mg |
| Energy | 218 kcal |
| Protein | 10.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9.6 g |
| Fat | 15.2 g |
| Fibre | 0.5 g |
| Sugar | 0.7 g |
| Sodium | 465 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Vitamin A and B12 (egg), iron and zinc (pork, dried shrimp), vitamin C and K (green onion), folate (sweetcorn).
Light but Filling
A single round is about 300 kcal — a lighter snack than most fried street food, with real protein from the egg and pork.
Protein & Quick Energy
Egg, pork and dried shrimp together give about 15 g of protein per round, with quick energy from the rice paper.
Small but Nutritious
Green onion, sweetcorn and egg bring vitamin A, folate and B12 to what looks like a simple snack.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Drinks
Iced Green Tea
Cold, unsweetened tea cools the palate and balances the salty-sweet toppings without adding sugar.
Vegetables
Do Chua (Pickled Carrot & Daikon)
Sharp, sour pickles cut through the butter and mayonnaise and keep the rich snack from feeling heavy.
Sauces
Extra Chilli Sauce
A little extra chilli sauce on the side lets each person set their own heat — the zigzag on top is only the start.
Complete menu
Serve the rounds hot off the grill with iced tea and pickled carrot and daikon on the side.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Fish Sauce Dip on the Side
The dish already carries about 640 mg of sodium per serving from the dried shrimp, butter and sauces. A fish-sauce dip on the side pushes the salt load much higher for no extra flavour. This is general information, not medical advice.
Extra Hot Sauce Overload
The chilli sauce is already the spicy element here. Piling on extra hot sauce overwhelms the egg and shrimp and can irritate a sensitive stomach. This is general information, not medical advice.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
Vietnam
3h 30m
Slow-simmered star anise and cinnamon bone broth with hand-cut rice noodles, supplying clean restorative warmth and collagen. One serving is about 775 g.
Immunity & Warming
Slow-simmered bone broth with rice noodles, rare beef and fresh herbs.
Vietnam
1h 5m
Fresh rice paper rolls filled with poached prawns, tender pork, rice vermicelli, lettuce, herbs and carrot, served with a peanut dipping sauce.
Light Digestion
Nothing is fried, so the rolls stay light and fresh — a cool, herb-filled snack for hot days.
Vietnam
1h 45m
Pork belly slowly braised in coconut water and caramel until meltingly tender, with golden eggs that soak up the sweet-savoury sauce — the Vietnamese family dish that tastes better the next day.
Comfort & Sustained Energy
Slow-braised pork belly and eggs in coconut water and caramel.
Vietnam
1h 10m
WARNING: This dish is made from raw duck blood and eating it is NOT recommended. Raw blood can carry Streptococcus suis (which causes meningitis and sepsis — people in Vietnam have died after eating pig-blood tiet canh), avian influenza from duck blood, salmonella and other dangerous germs. Vietnam's Ministry of Health advises against eating tiet canh, and no preparation method — not even blood from a fresh or trusted source — makes raw blood fully safe. This page describes the traditional Hanoi preparation, tiết canh vịt, for cultural knowledge only. One serving is about 241 g: a small bowl of fresh duck blood mixed with fish sauce, poured over finely chopped cooked duck meat and left to set into a soft, trembling jelly, then finished with crushed roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, lime and chili, and served cold.
Cultural Discovery
A traditional northern Vietnamese snack of raw duck blood set into a soft jelly with cooked duck meat, herbs and peanuts — described here for cultural knowledge, with a serious safety warning.
