Banh Can (Rice Cakes with Shrimp and Quail Egg), No Added Refined Sugar
Vietnamese dishesSavory CakesCentral Vietnamabout 1 hour 45 minutes, including 1 hour for the batter to rest
The afternoon snack of central Vietnam sits in these small rice cakes with shrimp and quail egg. They are good for the golden, crisp shell wrapped around a rich quail egg and a sweet shrimp. Getting the batter right is the hard part, since batter that has not rested will not rise.
The batter rests for a full hour after 450ml of water and finely chopped spring onion are mixed in. The molds have to be hot and full of oil, covered for 2 minutes, then uncovered for 2 minutes more.
This batch weighs about 1.8kg, at roughly 83 calories per 100g.
Method
Put 200g of rice flour, 100g of tapioca starch, 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 450ml of water in a large bowl and whisk. Add 20g of finely chopped spring onion, stir gently, and let the batter rest 1 hour.
Wash 200g of shrimp, drain, remove the heads and shells, and slit the backs to pull out the dark vein. Season the shrimp with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of minced shallot, and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, then chill 30 minutes.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with 2 tablespoons of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and steep 100g of shredded green papaya in it for 1 hour.
Mix the dipping sauce: put 10 tablespoons of fish sauce, 10 tablespoons of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 20 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, 1 tablespoon of minced chili, and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic in a bowl and stir.
Set the banh can mold pan on the stove, fill the molds with cooking oil, and heat it over low heat. Once the oil is hot, spoon in the batter, crack a quail egg into each mold, lay 1 to 2 shrimp on top, cover, and cook 2 minutes.
Uncover and cook about 2 minutes more, until the cakes are golden all over and the shrimp and quail egg are done, then lift them onto a plate lined with paper towels.
Serve hot with the sweet and sour papaya, fresh greens, and the bowl of dipping sauce.
Tips
A full hour of resting is what gives the cakes a crisp shell and a good rise.
Besides rinsing in clean water, the shrimp can be washed in salted water to take the smell away completely.
The oil has to be properly hot before the batter goes in, since a cold mold makes the cakes stick.
Fill the batter just to the rim of the mold, since an overfilled mold gives heavy cakes that struggle to crisp.
Crack the quail egg in as soon as the surface of the batter sets, since on fully cooked batter the egg will not hold.
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.