Sweets and drinksSteamed CakesVietnamSteam 15 to 17 minutes, chill 4 to 12 hours
This homely dessert starts with banh duc gan. The cake is chewy and springy, marbled white and green, served with ginger syrup and coconut sauce. The tricky part is cooking the batter to the right thickness.
Two bowls of batter are cooked separately, poured one over the other and folded lightly, and that is where the marbling comes from. After steaming, the cake chills for 4 to 12 hours, and that step is what sets the chewy, springy texture.
This batch weighs about 789g, at roughly 193 calories per 100g.
Method
Wash the pandan leaves, cut two thirds of them into pieces, blend with 150ml water and strain for the extract. Keep the remaining third whole for the syrup.
First bowl: combine 60g tapioca starch, 40g rice flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 150ml pandan extract, and stir until smooth.
Second bowl: combine 60g tapioca starch, 40g rice flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 100ml coconut milk and 50ml water, and stir well. Let both bowls rest for 30 minutes.
Bring 150ml water to a boil, turn the heat to its lowest, then pour in the coconut batter slowly, stirring until it thickens. Lift the pot off the heat and keep stirring until thick.
Do the same with 150ml water and the pandan batter in a second pot.
Pour the pandan mixture into a large silicone mold, pour the coconut mixture over the top, then fold lightly so the two marble into green and white streaks.
Steam for 15 to 17 minutes from the moment the water boils, cool completely, then chill for 4 to 12 hours so the cake sets chewy and springy.
Make the syrup: combine 250g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 250ml water and 10g sliced ginger, and cook over medium heat for 10 to 13 minutes until fully dissolved, then drop in the bundle of pandan leaves and cook 1 minute more.
Make the sauce: combine 200ml coconut milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2/3 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1 teaspoon cornstarch, stir over medium heat until boiling, then lower the heat and stir 1 minute more.
Cut the cake onto plates, spoon over the coconut sauce and ginger syrup, and scatter roasted sesame seeds on top.
Tips
Cook the batter over the lowest heat with constant stirring so it does not scorch on the bottom of the pot.
The chilling step after steaming is what sets the chewy, springy texture, so do not skip it.
Strain the pandan extract carefully for a smooth cake with no grit.
Fold the two batters together very gently, since heavy mixing wipes out the marbling.
Both bowls of batter need a full 30 minute rest, since unrested batter gives marbling that crumbles and breaks up.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.