Cuốn Diếp: Vietnamese Mustard-Leaf Rolls with Shrimp and Pork (Cuốn diếp)

Cuốn Diếp: A Mustard Leaf, a Tight Roll, and a Shrimp on Top

A dark-green mustard leaf is wrapped tightly around thin slices of steamed pork belly, soft fresh rice vermicelli and strips of carrot and daikon that have been sweetened and soured. A steamed shrimp, peeled but with its tail left on, sits on top of the roll. A softened green onion ties the shrimp and roll together, and a small bowl of fish sauce dip waits beside the plate.

This article follows one home recipe, "Cuốn Diếp Tôm Thịt," posted on Cookpad Vietnam by Bòn Bon, whose profile lists Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam. In the introduction, the author explains choosing mustard greens for their pungent, mustard-like aroma, pairing them with a sweet-sour fish sauce dip, and cooking with what is already at home. The recipe card lists 4 servings and 45 minutes. Those are the card's own figures, not timings or yields measured by Sekai Gohan. The recipe has not been kitchen-tested by Sekai Gohan.

The ingredient list calls for 12 mustard leaves. That is a count of leaves, not a promise of 12 finished rolls; the number of rolls is not given. Two points are easy to misread. First, sugar and vinegar each appear twice in separate amounts: once for the pickle and once for the dipping sauce. Second, the shrimp goes on after the leaf is rolled, not inside it. For more dishes from the same country, see Vietnam.

What Kind of Cuốn Diếp This Is

The name cuốn diếp covers more than one way of wrapping. In the recipe's introduction, Bòn Bon mentions a northern style made with lettuce leaves and dấm bỗng. The author then contrasts that style with the version presented here, which uses mustard greens and a sweet-sour fish sauce dip. This is the author's own framing of their recipe. It is not a claim that this version is the only traditional form, and it does not settle where the dish began.

This article stays with that single version: mustard greens, pork belly, shrimp, fresh rice vermicelli, a two-stage carrot and daikon pickle, and the fish sauce dip. It does not cover other leaves, rice paper, vegetarian fillings or other sauces.

Ingredients: Serves 4, with Pickle and Dip Measured Separately

The pickle's 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp vinegar are separate from the dip's 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp vinegar. Measure them into different bowls and don't combine them.

The 12 leaves are a leaf count, not a count of finished rolls or servings. The rice vermicelli is fresh, not dried.

Equipment

• Colander
• Steamer
• Cutting board and kitchen knife
• Mixing bowl for the pickle, plus a small bowl for the discarded liquid
• Small pot of boiling water for the green onions
• Small bowl and spoon for the dip

Choosing What to Buy

Mustard greens are the wrapper and the center of the dish's aroma. Another leaf is not an equivalent swap.

Fresh rice vermicelli (bún tươi) is used by weight as a fresh noodle, not dried.

Fish sauce: no particular brand, salt level or origin is needed.

Carrot and daikon are used as half a carrot and half a daikon; pick ordinary-sized ones.

Method: Steam, Pickle in Two Stages, Roll, Then Top with Shrimp

When the Order Slips: What to Check

Nothing here changes the recipe. For shrimp and pork, the cue is "cooked through." No steaming times or temperatures are given, so none are added here.

Variations Within This Recipe

This article doesn't add new versions with other leaves, wrappers, fillings or sauces, because it rests on a single home recipe. The recipe does offer one optional step: before steaming, you can thread each shrimp on a skewer from head to tail to keep it straight. It is optional, so the method above leaves it out.

The other differences belong to the author's framing rather than to alternative recipes. Bòn Bon chose mustard greens for their pungent aroma and paired them with a sweet-sour fish sauce dip, setting this version against a northern style with lettuce and dấm bỗng. A separate vegetarian (chay) cuốn diếp by Phan Hồng Hoa is also posted on Cookpad Vietnam. It uses different ingredients and a different method, so nothing from it is borrowed here. The same name can cover quite different fillings.

Name and Region: Without Claiming Too Much

A short VOV2 program page dated March 24, 2017, describes cuốn diếp in terms of a Huế-like mustard flavor and mentions how the dish changed in Hà Nội. That is how the program page described it at the time. It is not a settled history of the dish's origin, and the audio and video were not reviewed for this article.

The recipe here comes from a home cook whose Cookpad profile lists Hồ Chí Minh. It is one household's version, not a regional standard. The VOV2 description and the Cookpad recipe are two separate pieces of context, and this article does not merge them into a single origin story.

How It Differs from Similar Vietnamese Dishes

Bánh cuốn wraps its filling in thin sheets of steamed rice-flour batter. Cuốn diếp uses a raw mustard leaf, so both the wrapper and the method differ.

Chả giò are fried spring rolls. Cuốn diếp involves no frying: the roll is a fresh mustard leaf around steamed pork, fresh rice vermicelli and pickled vegetables, served with an uncooked mixed dip.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many rolls does this make?

The recipe card says 4 servings, and the ingredient list calls for 12 mustard leaves. The number of finished rolls is not stated, so this article doesn't give one.

When does the shrimp go on?

After rolling. Fill the leaf with pork, fresh rice vermicelli and the pickled vegetables, roll it firmly, and then set the shrimp on top before tying with green onion.

Is the pickle's vinegar the same as the dip's vinegar?

No. They differ in amount and in where they go. The pickle uses 2 tbsp of vinegar, added after the sugar liquid is discarded. The dip uses 1 tbsp of vinegar mixed with its own ingredients. The same applies to the sugar: 2 tbsp for the pickle, 1 tbsp for the dip.

How long should I steam the shrimp and pork?

The recipe gives no steaming times or temperatures, only that both should be cooked through. This article doesn't fill in numbers that aren't given.

Do I blanch the mustard leaves?

No. Only the green onions are blanched. The mustard leaves are used as they are, darker green side down.

Can I store or reheat leftovers?

The recipe gives no storage or reheating method, so this article doesn't set one, and nothing here guarantees that leftovers are safe to keep.

Can I use lettuce or rice paper instead?

Bòn Bon mentions a northern style with lettuce, but this article covers only the mustard-green version and doesn't present lettuce or rice paper as substitutes.

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