Bánh bèo/Banh beo (Vietnamese water fern-shaped cakes)

Banh beo is sometimes translated as “water fern cake,” but “fern-shaped cake” would be more accurate. And the plant in question is actually a thin, perfectly round water lily found on the surface of many ponds.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of rice flour (do not use glutinous rice flour)
• ♥♦♥♦To make batter:
• 3 tbsp. of cornstarch
• ¾ teaspoon of salt
• 1 ½ tbsp. of canola or other neutral oil
• 1 ¾ cups of water
• ♥♦♥♦To make scallion oil:
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. of canola oil or other neutral oil
• ♥♦♥♦To make shrimp topping:
• 1/3 pound of medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1 tbsp. of canola oil or other neutral oil
• 1 tbsp. of finely minced shallot
• Pinch of sugar
• 2 pinches of white pepper
• ½ teaspoon of fish sauce
• ♥♦♥♦To make sauce:
• 2 tbsp. of sugar
• 1 ½ tbsp. of unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup of water
• 2 tbsp. of fish sauce

Directions:

Batter: In a bowl, add rice flour, cornstarch and salt and stir well. Make a hole in the center, pour oil and water into the hole, and whisk together to create a thin and smooth batter. Leave the bowl for 30 minutes.

Scallion oil: In small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add scallions and stir immediately to expose them quickly to the oil. When scallions have collapsed and become soft, after about 30 seconds, remove scallions along with the oil from the pan and transfer to a small heatproof bowl and let it cool.

Shrimp topping: In a small saucepan, add shrimp and salt, and pour water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 8 minutes (or until the water is evaporated). Transfer shrimp into a small bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then minced the shrimp to fluffy texture (or you can use a food processor). Return shrimp to bowl. In a small non-stick pan, add oil and heat over medium heat. Add shallot and sauté for about 1 minute. Add shrimp and stir to combine. Sprinkle in sugar, pepper and fish sauce. Continue to cook and stir for 3-4 more minutes to dry shrimp, until crumbly and brilliant orange. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Sauce: In a small bowl, add sugar, vinegar, water and fish sauce, and then stir until sugar is dissolved completely. Taste and make any adjustment to create light and slightly sweet sauce.

Fill bottom of the steamer with water and place steamer tray on top. Bring to a boil over high heat. Ready the batter, a ladle, a metal spatula and serving plates.

To make the cakes, you should prepare 8 small dishes, each about 2-½ inch wide and at least ½ inch deep. Put dishes into steamer tray (place them away from the edge where there is condensation). Cover steamer and let the dishes preheat for 2 minutes. Do not let water drops from the lid drip into the dishes. Ladle batter to a depth of ¼ inch into each dish (about 1 tbsp. of batter). Use another lid and steam for 3 minutes, or until the cakes are shiny and firm having a shallow indentation in the center. Reduce the heat to low and wait for the steam to subside before lifting the lid, and then carefully lift it to avoid condensation dripping onto the cakes. Use a tongs to transfer the dishes to the counter. Let the cakes cool for 2-3 minutes.

Dip the tip of the spatula in water (you can use a knife instead) and run it along the edge of a cake to loosen it. Use your fingers to gently prize the cake from dish, and then place it on a serving plate. Repeat until you unmold all the cakes.

 Return steamer to a boil over high heat. Give the dishes a quick rinse and wipe before returning them to the steamer tray for another patch. Keep repeating until all the batter is used.

Fill indentation of each cake with ½ teaspoon of shrimp topping and ¼ teaspoon of scallion oil. Serve with the sauce.

Visit us here for more!