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Bánh in (pressed rice-flour cakes)
Toasted glutinous rice flour and syrup pressed into flower moulds around a sweet mung bean centre
Bánh in, literally 'printed cakes', come from Huế and central Vietnam, where they are stacked on the Tết altar for the ancestors and later shared with guests; the moulds stamp flowers or the characters for luck and longevity into each cake. The dough is just toasted glutinous rice flour bound with fragrant syrup, so the cakes are crumbly-soft, melt in the mouth and taste nutty, with a smooth mung bean heart. Serve them with jasmine or artichoke tea. Any wooden or plastic mooncake mould of about 40 g works. Chef's tip: let the pressed cakes rest overnight in a closed tin; they firm up and the flavour of the toasted flour deepens.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the dough
- 9 oz glutinous rice flour
- 5 ½ oz white sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 pandan leavesknotted
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
For the filling
- 3 ½ oz split peeled mung beanssoaked 2 hours, drained
- 1 ¾ oz sugar
- 1 pinch salt
For shaping
- 2 tbsp glutinous rice flourfor the mould
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Toast 9 oz glutinous rice flour in a dry wok over low heat, stirring constantly for 12–15 minutes, until it turns ivory, smells like popcorn and a pinch rubbed between your fingers feels silky. Sift and leave to cool.
15 minStep 2: Simmer 5 ½ oz white sugar, ½ cup water and 2 pandan leaves for 3 minutes over medium heat to a light syrup, then cool and discard the pandan.
5 minStep 3: Steam 3 ½ oz split peeled mung beans for 15–20 minutes until a bean crushes to powder under a spoon.
18 minStep 5: Mix the cooled syrup and 1 tbsp neutral oil into the toasted flour a little at a time, rubbing with your fingertips, until it feels like damp sand that holds together when squeezed. Common mistake: adding all the syrup at once; the dough turns pasty and the pattern will not print.
8 minStep 6: Dust the mould with 2 tbsp glutinous rice flour, press in a layer of dough, set a mung bean ball in the middle and cover with more dough.
5 minStep 7: Press down hard with your palm, level the base, then knock the mould firmly on the table to release the cake. Repeat with the rest.
20 minStep 8: Leave the cakes on a tray for 1 hour, then store in an airtight tin overnight before serving. They keep for 1 week.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bánh in (pressed rice-flour cakes) take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of white sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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