Bánh bèo translates to “water fern”. These miniature cakes resemble the small water ferns found floating in the bodies of water in Vietnam.
This is one of my favorite dishes, but is a delicacy that people often order out. They are a bit time consuming to prepare…You see, you have to make the batter, steam all the dishes individually, prepare the toppings, and serve with a homemade sauce.
With that being said, I decided to accept the challenge. I cleared my schedule, swiped-right on bánh bèo, and committed to spend my Saturday morning with these tasty cakes.
These cakes were delicate, they were savory, and the variety of toppings add varying textures that are simply addicting. Enjoy these as an appetizer, or eat a dozen as the main dish.
The batter is simple enough. You pour all the ingredients in a bowl and let it sit for 30 minutes. When it was time to pour into the small dishes, I transferred the batter into a liquid mixing cup with a handle and spout to enable easy pouring.
With a meat tenderizer, pound out the shrimp on a cutting board into small pieces. This method is much faster than using a mortar and pestle. To the shrimp, add annatto seed oil. Anatto seed oil is used frequently in Vietnamese cooking. It adds a natural source of deep red coloring. I often make a larger batch and keep it in a jar in the fridge to have on hand when a dish needs a pop of color and warmth.
The fish sauce that accompanies bánh bèo is much more mild than other fish sauces that are heavily laced with garlic and lime. In fact, this sauce doesn’t call for any garlic or lime (but if you MUST, feel free to add it). I love all types of fish sauce dipping sauces, but I figured I’d go with the traditional paring for this recipe.
Some people grease their dishes first, and pre-steam/heat their dishes to prevent sticking. I found my batter didn’t really stick at all, so after the first batch I skipped these steps and they still came out fine.
Once topped, the rice cakes need to be eaten right away. Un-topped, they can be covered with plastic wrap and eaten hours later at room temperature, or refrigerated and microwaved for about 30 seconds before serving. You can serve them in the small dishes (which is the cutest way in my opinion) or you can take a metal spoon and pop the rice cakes out and serve on a large plate, add the toppings, and service with the fish sauce on the side.
- 2 cups rice flour
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound shell on shrimp
- 1 tablespoon annatto oil
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup pork rinds
- 1 cup shrimp stock
- 2 T fish sauce
- 2 T sugar
- 2 fresh thai chills, thinly sliced
- In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the batter. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the toppings.
- Bring two cups of water to a boil in a small sauce man. Once boiling, add shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes until done. After 5 minutes, drain the shrimp, making sure to reserve the broth. Peel the shells and remove the vein. Smash each shrimp with a meat tenderizer or pound in a mortar and pestle.
- in a separate pan on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and add 1 tablespoon annatto seeds. Cook the seeds for about 30 seconds, remove the seeds and reserve oil and set aside.
- Add shrimp to a dry frying pan on medium heat. Fry the pounded shrimp until completely dry, while stirring frequently. Add the annatto seed oil, and set aside to cool.
- Fill the steamer ⅔ way full with water (make sure the water is below the steamer tray). Bring to a rapid boil. Place the dishes in the steamer, and fill half way. Cover and steam for 5 minutes, remove from steamer, and repeat until batter is finished. Top rice cakes, and serve with a drizzle of fish sauce.
Leave a Reply