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Banh nam (Hue rice cakes in banana leaf)
Bánh nậm: wafer-thin rice cakes with prawn and pork, steamed in banana leaf
VietnameseMarket women at Đông Ba in Huế sell bánh nậm by the stack, still warm in their banana-leaf wrappers, as one of the city's many little afternoon cakes. A soft rice-flour paste is spread thin on a leaf, sprinkled with a savoury filling of prawn and pork, folded flat into a neat parcel and steamed. Unwrapped, the cake is silky, almost translucent, and you eat it straight off the leaf with a spoonful of sweet chilli fish sauce. It is often served on the same plate as bánh bột lọc and bánh ít for a mixed snack. Chef's tip: soften the banana leaves in hot water or over a flame first and brush them with oil; dry leaves split and the paste sticks.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the paste
- 5 ½ oz rice flour
- ⅔ oz tapioca starch
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups chicken or pork stockor water
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
For the filling
- 5 ½ oz raw peeled prawnsfinely chopped
- 5 ½ oz pork mince
- 3 shallotsfinely chopped
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp sweet paprika or annatto oil (optional)for colour
For wrapping and serving
- 12 banana leavespieces of about 20 x 25 cm, plus extra for lining
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 red chillifinely chopped
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Method
0/9 doneStep 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.
7 minStep 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.
2 minStep 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.
7 minStep 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.
15 minStep 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.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does banh nam (Hue rice cakes in banana leaf) take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of fish sauce?
- Soy sauce with a squeeze of lime (vegetarian).
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