Vietnamese Pizza (Banh Trang Nuong)

Banh trang nuong is a popular Vietnamese street food that combines light and crispy rice paper with a variety of delicious toppings! Unlike Italian pizza, this requires no oven to cook, and is extremely versatile in the way it can be prepared.

Vietnamese pizza aka. banh trang nuong can be traced back to the city of Da Lat, Vietnam.

Due to it’s rise in popularity amongst locals for its conveniency and crispiness as a snack, you can now find banh trang nuong spread all across street vendors in Hanoi and Saigon!

What is it?

Vietnamese pizza may look somewhat similar to an Italian pizza, but it is far from it!

Think of the rice paper as our crust, which is the base that will hold all the delicious toppings and sauces for this dish.

Typically in Vietnamese street stalls, you’ll see them grilling these rice paper discs over hot coals. Once crisp, an egg is cracked on top and spread evenly across the paper’s surface.

Various toppings such as green onions, sausage, pork floss, shallots, or even dried shrimps are added for a burst of flavor. Finally, kewpie mayonnaise and sriracha are then lightly drizzled on top for that slight kick of tanginess and spice.

To serve, it’s folded in half to seal all those tasty toppings into one crunchy bite!

Want more delicious Asian STREET FOOD recipes? Here’s a couple more from our street food series:

• Okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancake)
• Tteokbokki (Korean spicy rice cakes)
• Filipino Garlic Chicken Feet
• Salt and Pepper Squid (Chinese-Style)

Ingredients for Vietnamese pizza

• Vietnamese rice paper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp green onions, chopped
• 1/2 – 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce (can be substituted with sriracha sauce)
• *Toppings of choice (see ingredient notes below)
• Kewpie mayonnaise
• Sriracha sauce (you may also use sweet chili sauce, if you prefer)

Toppings

What I love about this dish is how incredibly versatile the toppings for the pizza can be!

Many street stalls in Vietnam specializing in banh trang nuong have developed their own unique recipes and combinations to cater to the tastes of many locals and travellers in the area.

Some popular Vietnamese toppings you can add include:

• Pork floss: This is a popular Chinese topping made up of dried, shredded pork that has a similar texture to a very dry and fluffy cotton candy. It’s slightly sweet and savory, lending a delicious flavor and textural aspect to the pizza. These can typically be found in most Asian groceries.
• Dried shrimp: These can be found vacuum-sealed in most Asian groceries. The dried shrimps provide a burst of umami flavors with a slight seafood-like taste. For best results, soak the dried shrimps in hot water for about 10-15 minutes, or until the shrimps have softened up to your liking. You can then choose to either keep them whole or finely mince the shrimps as a topping for the pizza.
• Sausage: Any sausage will work for this recipe, but I went for the more accessible kind: Vienna sausages. These canned sausages can be found in almost every grocery store, simply cut them up into thin strips and spread evenly over the pizza. Feel free to also use Spam or other hams.
• Crispy shallots: These are thinly-sliced shallots that are gently fried in oil until golden brown and crispy. You can easily make these at home, but I typically tend to buy these from my local Asian grocery for conveniency. They’re perfectly toasty, crunchy, and savory.
• Cheese: To add a slight richness to the pizza, you could also add some shredded cheese, either fresh or processed.

Substitutions

If you’re having difficulty finding the traditional toppings above (or if you’re simply not a fan of them), no fear, this Vietnamese pizza can easily be customized.

Some other toppings you can try include:

• Shredded chicken
• Ground pork or beef
• Tuna
• Tofu
• Mixed veggies of your choice

Instructions

On a grill or pan, heat the rice paper sheet over medium heat.

Add in the egg, green onions, and chili garlic sauce. Whisk all the ingredients together on top of the rice paper, carefully spreading the egg out to the edges.

Sprinkle on your choice of toppings (see toppings notes above) and drizzle on top some kewpie mayonnaise and sriracha sauce.

Continue to cook your pizza until the rice paper has crisped up evenly on the bottom and the edges are no longer raw.

To serve, either cut the pizza into wedges, or fold it into a crepe for a more traditional approach.

To fold or not fold?

Many street vendors would typically fold the pizza so that you get a perfectly crisp and crunchy texture with each bite!

Common ways to fold banh trang nuong include either folding it in half or into thirds, similar to a crepe or a log shape.

Of course, you could always serve it open-faced, sectioning the pizza into smaller wedges (as you would an Italian pizza) as an alternative way to enjoy this dish.