YummY Vietnam

Rarely we can find any kind of cake that appears in all of 3 regions of Viet Nam like Bánh Đúc. In Each region Banh Duc has different taste but it still keeps the unique and delicious flavor.

Banh Duc is easy to make, eat and digest. Banh Duc is made from simple ingredients which are rice flour, some areas use corn flour instead; though corn flour is not as delicious as rice flour, the flavor is still distinctive. The filling of Banh Duc is usually peanut; But nowadays, Vietnamese people often make the filling with ground pork, grilled ground shrimp…In summer, you can keep away the heat by eating Banh Duc with peanut or salad. In winter you can enjoy Steamed Banh Duc.

There are so many ways to make Banh Duc but actually, it includes 3 basic steps: Soak rice, prepare flour and steam cake. To the North region, you can enjoy Banh Duc with peanut dipping into “ Bần” Fermented soybean sauce; To the South region, “ Bánh đúc cẩm thạch” exist, which is still made in the same way but It is often mixed with coconut milk to make the aroma and greasy taste for Banh Duc.

The way to make Banh Duc is not difficult, absolutely, you can make it by yourself at home with the following Banh Duc recipe:

Ingredients for making Banh Duc Recipe:

• Rice flour: 160 gr
• Ground meat: 150 gr
• Chopped red shallots: 20 gr
• Wood ear mushroom: 20 gr
• Shiitake mushroom: 20 gr
• Salt: ½ teaspoon
• Ground pepper: ½ teaspoon
• Seasoning powder: 1/2 teaspoon
• Refined sugar: 60 gr
• Fish sauce: 40 ml
• Chopped chili: 10gr
• Chopped garlic: 25 gr
• Tapioca starch: 100 gr
• Glutinous rice flour: 40 gr
• Cooking oil: 20ml

Steps to make Banh Duc Recipe:

Step 1:

Fry 15 gr red shallots, 15gr chopped garlic with 2 tablespoon of cooking oil.

Add 150 gr ground pork to stir-fry with 15gr chopped wood ear mushroom, 15gr chopped shiitake mushroom. Season with ¼ tsp of salt, ½ tsp of season powder, ¼ tsp of ground pepper.

Note: To have the yummy filling: Instead of stir-frying the ingredients before add spices, you can marinate ground meat, wood ear mushroom, shiitake mushroom with the spices above and cooking oil as well. Wait for about 5-7 minutes for absorbing, then fry together with chopped red shallots and garlic.

Step 2: Making dipping fish sauce:

Pour 400 ml of boiled water into a bowl. Add 60gr sugar, 40 ml fish sauce, stir to dissolve then let it cool. Add more 10gr chopped garlic, 10gr chopped chili. Add some lime juice if you want.

Note: You can also use warm or cool water to making the dipping fish sauce as long as making the sugar dissolved. Using warm water just for dissolving the sugar quickly.

Step 3: Making Banh Duc

Add 160gr rice flour, 100gr tapioca flour, 40gr glutinous rice flour with 1,4l water into a pot then stir well to make the mixture incorporated.

Place the pot on the stove and turn on the low heat. Stir the mixture of flour well until getting the consistency batter then add 20ml cooking oil into the batter. Continue stir well until the batter is getting translucent.

The batter meets the requirements is that it’s not to mushy, not to consistency. When press on the batter, you can feel elastic and soft, not to be friable or broken.

Step 4:

Ladle Banh Duc into a bowl. Scatter some stir-fried ground meat on the top. Sprinkle a little fried onion; garnish some coriander then pour some fish sauce into the bowl and enjoy.