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Banh beo
Bánh bèo: Huế's tiny steamed rice cakes with shrimp floss and spring onion oil
Bánh bèo are named after the water fern that floats on Huế's ponds, which the little round cakes resemble. In the city they arrive at the table by the dozen, each still in its own small saucer, topped with pink shrimp floss and spring onion oil. You spoon sweet fish sauce over and scoop each one out in a single mouthful. They're a mid-afternoon snack or a light lunch alongside other Huế rice cakes. Small ramekins, egg poaching cups or a silicone mini-muffin tray all work as moulds. Chef's tip: heat the empty saucers in the steamer for a minute before adding the batter; the cakes then set with the little dimple in the middle that holds the toppings.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the cakes (about 30)
For the shrimp floss
For the spring onion oil
For the sauce
To serve
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Whisk the 5 ½ oz rice flour, ⅞ oz tapioca starch, ½ tsp salt and 2 cups water into a smooth, thin batter. Stir in the 1 tsp vegetable oil and leave to rest while you make the toppings, at least 15 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Pat the 7 oz raw peeled prawns dry and chop them very finely, almost to a paste. Put them in a dry non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat with the 1 tsp fish sauce, ½ tsp caster sugar, ¼ tsp sweet paprika and 1 pinch black pepper.
2 minStep 3: Cook, stirring and pressing with a wooden spoon, until the prawn is pink and opaque, then keep going until it dries out into fine, fluffy, orange-pink crumbs. Tip onto a plate.
12 minStep 4: Put the 4 spring onions in a heatproof bowl with a pinch of salt. Heat the 4 tbsp vegetable oil until shimmering, pour it over and stir; the onion should sizzle and turn bright green.
Step 5: Stir the 2 tbsp caster sugar into the 6 tbsp warm water until dissolved, then add the 3 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp lime juice and 1 red bird's eye chilli.
Step 6: Bring a steamer to a full boil over a high heat. Brush 8–10 small saucers or moulds, about 6 cm across, with oil and heat them in the steamer for 1 minute.
2 minStep 7: Stir the batter well. Common mistake: forgetting to stir between batches. The flour sinks, so the first cakes come out watery and the last ones thick and gummy. Pour about 1 tbsp into each hot saucer.
Step 8: Cover and steam for 5–7 minutes, until the cakes turn from white to translucent and a small dip forms in the middle. Repeat with the rest of the batter; keep the cooked ones warm in their saucers or ease them out onto a plate.
18 minStep 9: Spoon a little spring onion oil onto each cake, add a pinch of shrimp floss and 1 oz pork scratchings, crushed, and serve with the sauce to spoon over. Eat warm, scooping each cake out in one bite.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does banh beo take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of fish sauce?
- Soy sauce with a squeeze of lime (vegetarian).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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