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A visitor asked for clarification on how to choose banh trang for making fresh spring rolls (a.k.a., goi cuon, summer rolls). Below is a transcript of our 11/03/03 email exchange:

Question:

Please explain to me which rice papers to use to make fresh, unfried spring rolls. Also, is banh trang the words for rice paper or is this the name of a brand of rice paper?

My response:

You're asked a splendid question. Asian food labels are tough to decipher -- even for native speakers! With regard to banh trang, you're correct in the meaning of the terms. However, the banh trang use for fresh, unfried spring rolls are thin, opaque white discs.

In Vietnamese, there are actually two ingredients called "banh trang". One is thicker and usually has white or black sesame seeds embedded in them. Sometimes called "banh trang nuong" or "banh da", these dried brittle discs are grilled or baked to a crispy nuttiness. They're are eaten as a snack (like a fat-free chip, if you will), used to scoop food up or broken into small pieces to be eaten with certain noodle dishes.

The type you're inquiring about is nearly transparent and has beautiful basket-weaving markings, reflecting how they're dried on bamboo matting or frames after being steamed. They have a slight sour-salty flavor and need to be dipped in warm or hot water before usage. Here's a picture comparing the two; what you want is on the top.

For your fresh spring rolls (goi cuon, sometimes also called summer rolls), you want to look for these below:

To prevent them from breaking, they're sold in thin plastic casings or thick plastic packages. Note that the packaging will often say "spring roll skin" or "spring roll wrapper". Of the three above, two of them are of the red rose brand, which consistently tends to be a good one to go with. The photo above has the common sizes, 8", 5" and the quarter wedge. These rice papers are also used for Vietnamese fried imperial rolls.

If you'd like more clarification or information, let me know!

Happy cooking and eating,

Andrea