Banh Nam Recipe – How to make Flat steamed rice dumpling

Along with Banh bot loc, Banh beo, Banh it tran, Banh Nam ( Flat steamed rice dumpling) contribute to the fame for Hue cuisine. If there is a chance to visit Hue, Banh Nam is one of the specialties that you have to try. The cake whose the main ingredient is rice flour will make you fascinated by its delicious, fat-free taste and without feeling bored.

Banh Nam ( Flat steamed rice dumpling) is quite easy to make, so beside Hue, you can enjoy this cake in other provinces of Vietnam such as Da Nang, Phu Yen, Quang Binh. However, Hue is still considered the home of Banh Nam.

On the first and the fifteenth every month in Luna calendar, people in Hue often make Banh Nam to worship, expressing gratitude to their ancestors. The cake is delicious and benign which is loved by children, young people and the elderly.

The main ingredients for making Banh Nam are rice flour, minced pork and prawn. When enjoying it, you should eat it with fish sauce and especially keep covering leaves and spread it on the disk, so the smell of fragrant banana leaves will make the cake more delicious and addicted while eating.

If you are curious about how to make Banh Nam, let’s see the simple Banh Nam recipe below!

Ingredient for Banh Nam recipe:

400 g of rice dumpling flour
1 liter water
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp of cooking oil
400 g of prawn
200 g minced lean
Scallions, red onions
Pepper, fish sauce, salt, cashew or gac oil

Instruction for making Banh Nam recipe:

Step 1:

Banana leaves are washed to boil in hot water. Dip banana leaves into a pot with hot water and then take them out immediately. Let them drain to dry.

(The action of dipping banana leaves through boiling water helps make the banana softer when it comes to wrapping up the cake.)

Banana leaves after being drained are cut into rectangular pieces of 20-25cm.

Step 2:

Wood ear mushroom are washed and soaked in boiling water. After the mushroom has bloomed, take it out and chop it into small peaces.

Scallions are chopped too

Step 3:

Prepare a large pot then add rice dumpling flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 tbsp of cooking oil, 1 little MSG and 1 liter of water. Soak the mixture for at least 30 minutes.

Put the pot on the stove to stir, when the dough is heavy and thick, apply the powder to smooth with the remaining 200 ml of water.

Step 4:

After marinating minced meat with pepper, fish sauce, salt and red onion, frying marinated meat with chopped red onion for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat.

Add scallion and stir continuously, then add 3 tbsp of gac oil or cashew oil and stir again.

Step 5:

Prawn are washed, removed the shell and vein at the back then grinded,

Scoop the finely ground shrimp into 1 big bowl to marinate with fish sauce, peppers, red onions for 10 minutes to soak the spices.

Turn on the stove, add 1 tbsp of cooking oil and bring the mixture of fried shrimp, red onions and onion heads to stir with scallions in heat.

Then add 3 tbsp of cashew oil or gac oil and keep stirring

Step 6:

Put a piece of banana leaf on the tray. Notice: place the outside of the banana leaf face to the table.

Put some oil on banana leaf.Ladle 2 tbsp of flour spread evenly over banana leaves.

In order, scoop 1 spoon of meat and 1 scoop of shrimp spread evenly over the dough. (Make sure the ratio between powder and fill is 2: 1)

Step 7: Cake warping

Fold 2 longer sides of the leaves and then fold the two edges to form the cake into a rectangular, then place the cake on a table to pat in order to make the dough to spread evenly. Repeat the operation until the powder is over.

Prepare a stream cooker to cook the cakes, put each pair of cake in.

Do not stack them in too thick to avoid the cakes will not be cooked because there is not enough heat to cook too much cakes. Arrange up to 3 layers and make sure the cakes are arranged alternately so that the steam is released