Banh Trang Tron (Vegan Vietnamese Rice Paper Salad)

Banh Trang Tron, or Vietnamese Rice Paper Salad, is a popular street food in Vietnam. And not just on the streets, you would also catch a glimpse of it inside a classroom or an office. It’s a beloved Vietnamese snack to share with friends — tangy, spicy, chewy, crunchy, and utterly addictive.

?What is Banh Trang Tron?

“Bánh Tráng” means rice paper, and “Trộn” means to mix (head over to my channel to learn how to pronounce it ?). As the name suggests, thin rice paper sheets are cut into strips and mixed with herbs, mango, roasted peanuts, fried shallots, savory tofu, and a bold dressing made with vegan fish sauce, chilli oil, and calamansi.

To call Bánh Tráng Trộn a salad doesn’t quite capture the whole essence of what makes it so special. You cannot just put all ingredients on a plate, pour over the dressing and call it a day. Nuh-uh! The best Banh Trang Tron is the one that receives the most thorough toss. You have to keep tossing until you find the ultimate flavor that will linger in your mind for years to come.

? Why You’ll Love Banh Trang Tron

• Vibrant and flavour-packed: Every bite is a balance of tangy, spicy, chewy, and crunchy.
• Quick and easy: Minimal or no cooking required.
• Perfect for sharing: It’s a fun and interactive street food to bring to picnics or gatherings.

Traditionally, most Vietnamese like to eat Banh Trang Tron with quail eggs, but since we only use plant-based ingredients, you can toss in slices of one of these vegan egg recipes. There’s a quick tip: the vegan egg mixtures can be stored in a fridge for a few days, so you can plan ahead and make use of leftovers!

?How to make Banh Trang Tron

Ingredients

• Rice paper sheets
• Green mango
• Tofu puffs, sliced
• Tofu skin (yuba)
• Fried shallots
• Roasted peanuts, crushed
• Vietnamese herbs (rau răm)
• Vietnamese chili oil

For the sauce

• Vegan fish sauce (I use Nature’s Charm)
• Sugar
• Juice from 1 calamansi (or lime)
• Vietnamese chili oil

Instructions

Prep the ingredients

1. Peel and julienne the green mango.
2. If using dry yuba, soak in hot water for 15 minutes until soft, then drain. Pan-fry the yuba with 1 tablespoon chili oil until slightly crispy and golden.
3. If using fresh yuba, skip the soaking and just fry it directly in chili oil.
4. Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.

Assemble the salad

1. Cut the rice paper sheets into thin strips using scissors. Add 2 tablespoon chili oil, then gently massage the strips with your hands or toss with chopsticks until the rice paper softens slightly.
2. Add the mango, tofu puffs, fried yuba, fried shallots, peanuts, and rau răm.
3. Pour the sauce over everything and toss a few more times — until evenly coated.

Serve

1. Enjoy fresh, right away, while it’s still chewy, spicy, tangy, and crunchy.
2. Top with extra peanuts or fried shallots!

? Tips for success

• Don’t over-soak the rice paper with sauce - it should stay slightly chewy, not sticky.
• Adjust the sweet and spicy level to your taste depending on the ingredients you have at hand.
• Use fresh herbs — rau răm makes all the difference in flavour. You may find it’s labelled as Vietnamese coriander at your local market.

?️Final Thoughts

Banh Trang Tron is the epitome of Vietnamese street food and people: chaotic from the outside, but the inside is full of personality that keeps you wanting to come back for more.

Vietnamese culture is all about sharing food with the ones you love, and it all started with asking a vendor for another pair of chopsticks so you can share Banh Trang Tron with your friends after school, while chatting about your wildest teenage dreams and losing track of time.

What's your favorite snack to share with a friend? Let me know in the comment below or tag me on Instagram @veggieanh. I would love to hear what you will share!

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