Savory rice cake (banh duc)
Hot banh duc is a winter snack loved in Hanoi: rice flour batter is stirred on the stove until thick and silky, then ladled into bowls, topped with ground pork stir-fried with wood ear mushrooms and drizzled with warm fish sauce. It is soft, smooth and piping hot, fragrant with rice and fried shallots. With just a few simple ingredients, you will have a bowl that warms you right through.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rising or chilling
- 30 min
- Total time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Method
- Boiled or simmered
Ingredients
Batter
Pork and wood ear mushroom topping
Fish sauce for drizzling
Fresh herbs
Instructions
Step 1
Pour 850 g water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add 200 g rice flour, 50 g tapioca starch and 2 g salt, stir until dissolved and let the batter rest for about 30 minutes. Resting lets the starch absorb the water evenly, so the cooked cake is silky and free of lumps. The batter is ready when it has settled into a white layer at the bottom and the water on top has turned clear again.
Step 2
Soak 10 g dried wood ear mushrooms until softened and chop them finely, then sauté 20 g shallots in 10 g vegetable oil until fragrant and add 200 g ground pork, the mushrooms, 15 g fish sauce and a pinch of ground black pepper, stirring for about 8 minutes. The well-seasoned pork is what turns this mild, delicate rice cake into something truly moreish. The topping is ready when the pork is firm and crumbly, with a little thick sauce clinging to it.
Step 3
Put 120 g water, 30 g granulated sugar and 40 g fish sauce in a small saucepan and heat over low heat for about 3 minutes until it just comes to a boil, then turn off the heat and add 15 g lime juice and 10 g minced garlic. Warm fish sauce keeps the bowl hot longer once you drizzle it over. The sauce is ready when it is clear, slightly syrupy and gently balanced between salty and sweet.
Step 4
Stir the pot again so the settled batter is evenly mixed, add 10 g vegetable oil, set it over medium heat and stir constantly with a flat spatula for about 15 minutes; once the batter starts to thicken, lower the heat and stir more vigorously. Nonstop stirring cooks the batter evenly, keeps it from scorching on the bottom and gives it a smooth, pliable texture. The cake is cooked when the batter turns from opaque white to translucent, is very thick and gathers into a mass that follows the spatula.
Step 5
Ladle the hot cake into bowls, cover with a layer of the pork and mushroom topping, sprinkle with finely chopped mixed fresh herbs (to taste) and drizzle with the warm fish sauce as you eat. Banh duc must be eaten right away while hot to keep its signature soft, silky texture. The bowl is ready when the surface of the cake is smooth and glossy, the fish sauce has seeped around the edges and steam is still rising.
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Nonstick skillet
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
Tips
- Use a heavy-bottomed nonstick pot so the batter doesn't catch and scorch while you stir.
- If you like, add diced fried tofu to the pork topping for an even more generous bowl.
- A sprinkle of crispy fried shallots on top makes the dish much more fragrant.
Storage
Hot banh duc is best eaten right away. Leftover cake can be poured onto a tray to cool, covered and kept in the fridge for a day; to serve, cut it into pieces and steam or warm it with a little water until soft again.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The cake is lumpy instead of smooth.
- Parts of the batter cooked too fast because the heat was high and it wasn't stirred evenly. Lower the heat, whisk vigorously with a balloon whisk to break up the lumps, then continue stirring with a flat spatula.
- The cake is too thick and stiff when ladled into bowls.
- The batter cooked too long or too much water evaporated. Add a little boiling water to the pot and stir well over low heat until the cake is soft again.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
