Pyramid rice dumplings with pork (banh gio)

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Put 250 g rice flour, 40 g tapioca starch and 4 g salt in a large pot, pour in 1,000 g water, stir until dissolved and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Soaking lets the starch absorb water evenly, so the cooked wrapper turns out smoother and more translucent. The batter is ready when the flour has settled lightly to the bottom and the water on top looks slightly clear.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Soak 15 g dried wood ear mushrooms until soft, then chop them finely. Fry 30 g minced shallots in 15 g vegetable oil, then add 300 g ground pork and stir-fry it with the mushrooms, 15 g fish sauce and a pinch of ground black pepper for about 10 minutes. If you are using 100 g quail eggs, boil and peel them. A filling that is just cooked and still a little moist stays tender and juicy as it steams with the batter. The filling is ready when the pork has turned white, crumbled evenly and smells of fried shallots.

   Suggested time: about 10 minutes. Medium heat.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Wash 400 g banana leaves, blanch them in boiling water, wipe them dry and cut them into pieces about thirty centimeters long; each dumpling needs two pieces laid crosswise. Blanched leaves are soft enough to roll into a cone without tearing. The leaves are ready when they are supple, glossy green and fold without cracking.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Stir the pot of batter well again, add 15 g vegetable oil, set it over medium heat and stir constantly in one direction for about 12 minutes, until the batter is thick and about seventy percent cooked. Constant stirring keeps the batter from catching on the bottom and from turning lumpy. The batter is ready when it is as thick as paste, falls slowly from the spoon and starts to look translucent white.

   Suggested time: about 12 minutes. Medium heat.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Roll two pieces of leaf into a cone, spoon a layer of batter into the bottom, add a spoonful of filling and a quail egg in the center, cover with more batter, then fold the top of the leaves into a pyramid and tie it with twine. Sealing the filling in batter keeps the meat juices from leaking out during steaming. The dumplings are ready when they have an even pyramid shape, feel firm in your hand and the leaves have no gaps at the edges.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Stand the dumplings upright in the steamer, cover tightly and steam over high heat for about 25 minutes. The strong steam fully cooks the raw part of the batter and binds it with the filling. They are done when an opened dumpling has a translucent, soft wrapper that springs back when pressed lightly, with no opaque white core left.

   Suggested time: about 25 minutes.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Take the dumplings out, let them cool for about five minutes, then unwrap them onto a plate and serve with Vietnamese pork roll, quick pickles or chili sauce as you like. A few minutes of rest lets the wrapper firm up, so the leaves peel off easily without sticking. They are just right when they keep their pyramid shape after unwrapping and the surface is smooth and glossy.

   Mark step 7 as done