Banh nam (Hue rice cakes in banana leaf)

Step 1: Pour boiling water over 12 banana leaves, wipe them dry and brush the matt side lightly with a little of ⅞ tbsp vegetable oil.

Step 2: Heat 1 tablespoon of 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry 3 shallots for 2 minutes until soft and golden. Add 5 ½ oz pork mince and 5 ½ oz raw peeled prawns and stir-fry, breaking up lumps, for 5–6 minutes.

Step 3: Season with 1 tbsp fish sauce, ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp ground black pepper and ½ tsp sweet paprika or annatto oil and keep stirring until the mixture is dry and crumbly, the prawns are pink and the pork reaches 160°F/160 °F. Set aside.

Step 4: In a non-stick pan whisk 5 ½ oz rice flour, ⅔ oz tapioca starch and ½ tsp salt with 2 cups chicken or pork stock until smooth, then add the rest of 1 tbsp vegetable oil.

Step 5: Stir over a low-medium heat for 5–7 minutes until it turns into a thick, glossy paste like soft mashed potato. Take it off the heat as soon as it clumps on the spoon.

Step 6: Put a heaped tablespoon of paste in the middle of a leaf and spread it with an oiled spoon into a 8 x 12 cm rectangle about 2–3 mm thick. Common mistake: spreading the paste thick gives a gummy cake instead of a silky one.

Step 7: Sprinkle a tablespoon of filling over the paste, fold the leaf over it in thirds lengthways and then fold the ends under to make a flat parcel. Repeat with the rest.

Step 8: Line a steamer basket with extra leaf and lay the parcels in it in overlapping layers. Steam over boiling water for 15 minutes until the paste is translucent.

Step 9: Mix 3 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 4 tbsp water and 1 red chilli until the sugar dissolves. Serve the cakes warm in their leaves, with the sauce spooned over as you unwrap them.