Banh Tam Bi (Rice Noodles with Shredded Pork and Coconut Milk), No Added Refined Sugar
Vietnamese dishesBreakfastMekong Delta40 minutes
Banh tam bi draws people in because it carries both rich coconut milk and sweet and sour fish sauce, together in one bowl. Blanching the noodles is the tricky part, since a moment too long leaves them clumped.
Bring the coconut milk to a boil before spooning it over, and the sauce stays creamy without splitting. Fry the spring onion oil separately in 2 tablespoons oil and drizzle it on at the end. The bi is made from lean pork and boiled pork skin, cut into very fine shreds. It makes a breakfast that holds for hours.
This batch weighs about 2.5kg, at roughly 149 calories per 100g.
Method
Pick over the rau ram and perilla, wash them and chop them small. Peel the cucumber lightly and cut it into fine strips. Rinse the bean sprouts. Wash the spring onion and chop it small.
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan and fry the spring onion to make spring onion oil.
Mix the dipping sauce: put 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 2 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend in a bowl and stir until dissolved. Add 1 teaspoon minced chili, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and the juice of 1 lime, then stir again.
Make the bi: boil the lean pork and the pork skin until cooked through, then cut both into fine shreds. Toss the pork and skin with 2 tablespoons roasted rice powder.
Make the sauce: pour 2 bowls coconut milk into a pot, bring it to a boil and season with a little of the 1 teaspoon salt.
Bring another pot of water to a boil and briefly blanch 1kg banh tam noodles and 100g bean sprouts.
Put the bean sprouts in a bowl, then the cucumber, noodles, rau ram and perilla. Add the bi, drizzle over the spring onion oil and scatter 2 tablespoons fried shallots. Spoon over coconut milk and fish sauce to taste, then toss.
Tips
Bring the coconut milk to a boil before spooning it over, and the sauce stays rich without splitting.
Blanch the banh tam and bean sprouts only briefly, as longer leaves the noodles soft and the sprouts limp.
Chill the boiled pork skin in ice water before cutting, and the strands come out crisp.
Mix in the roasted rice powder (thinh) once the pork skin has cooled completely, so the powder stays dry.
Cut the lean pork and the skin into strands of the same size, since uneven strands take the thinh unevenly.
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.