Banh Gai (Traditional Ramie Leaf Cake), Sweetened with Monk Fruit
Sweets and drinksSteamed CakesVietnamSimmer the leaves 30 minutes, soak the beans 4 hours, steam 30 to 40 minutes
What makes banh gai good is the glossy black shell, dense and chewy, giving way to a nutty mung bean filling. The hardest part is simmering and straining the ramie leaves until they are completely smooth.
The leaves simmer for 30 minutes until very soft, then get pounded and strained, and that extract goes into the dough. The filling combines steamed mung beans, shredded coconut and boiled pork fat cut into pieces the size of a little fingertip.
This batch weighs about 1.8kg, at roughly 247 calories per 100g. The cakes are wrapped in banana leaf and are best once cool, when the shell turns chewy and glossy black.
Method
Strip the ribs from the ramie leaves, pull off the tough stems and wash them. Bring water to a boil, add the leaves and simmer for 30 minutes until very soft, then lift them out to drain.
Pound or blend the leaves smooth, add water, stir well and strain for the extract.
Soak the mung beans for at least 4 hours, rub off the skins, steam until tender, then grind very fine.
Boil the pork fat, let it cool and cut it into pieces the size of a little fingertip, then mix it with the mung beans and desiccated coconut.
Toast the sesame seeds over medium heat until they pop and smell fragrant.
Put the glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch, 135g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and the ramie leaf extract in a large bowl and mix into a dense, chewy dough.
Flatten a piece of dough on your palm, set the filling in the middle and close it up so the filling sits neatly inside.
Roll each cake in sesame seeds, brush the banana leaf with a thin layer of oil, set the cake on it, wrap it up and tie it with banana leaf string.
Arrange the cakes in the steamer and steam for 30 to 40 minutes. Lift them out and let them cool.
Tips
Choose mature ramie leaves rather than young ones, since young leaves give a shell that is not deep black.
Knead the dough thoroughly, because the ratio of leaf paste to glutinous rice flour decides the texture of the shell.
Dice the pork fat to about the size of a little fingertip, since larger pieces feel heavy in the bite.
A thin layer of oil brushed on the banana leaf keeps the cake from sticking when unwrapped.
Rolling the cakes in toasted sesame before wrapping gives a fragrant, nutty outside.
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.