Flat rice dumplings in banana leaf (banh nam)

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Wash 300 g banana leaves, wipe them dry, then pass them quickly over a flame or blanch them in boiling water. Cut them into rectangles about twenty by twelve centimeters and brush a thin layer of oil over the surface. Softened leaves do not tear when folded, and the oil makes the dumplings easy to unwrap. The leaves are ready when they turn deep green and glossy and fold without cracking.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Peel and finely chop 200 g fresh shrimp. Fry 20 g shallots in 10 g vegetable oil, add 150 g ground pork and stir until it breaks apart, then add the shrimp, 12 g fish sauce, 5 g granulated sugar and a pinch of ground black pepper and stir-fry for about 8 minutes. The filling needs to be dry and loose so it sprinkles evenly over the thin batter. The filling is ready when the shrimp turn orange, the pork is in fine crumbles and the pan is dry.

   Suggested time: about 8 minutes. Medium heat.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Put 150 g rice flour, 30 g tapioca starch and a pinch of salt in a saucepan, gradually pour in 450 g water and whisk until the flour has completely dissolved. Mixing the batter while it is cold keeps it from forming lumps when heated. The mixture is ready when it is as thin as milk and no flour has settled on the bottom of the pan.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Add 10 g vegetable oil to the batter, set it over low heat and stir constantly for about 6 minutes until it thickens like paste, then turn off the heat. Partly cooked batter is easy to spread thinly on the leaves and does not run during steaming. The batter is ready when it is thick and smooth, falls slowly from a spoon in a ribbon and the surface looks slightly glossy.

   Suggested time: about 6 minutes. Low heat.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Spoon some batter onto the center of a leaf and use the back of the spoon to spread it into a thin rectangle. Sprinkle a layer of filling on top, fold in the two long sides first, then fold in the two ends to make a flat parcel. The thinner the batter, the softer and more evenly cooked the dumpling. The dumplings are ready when the parcels are flat, sealed on all four sides and the batter looks evenly spread through the leaf.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Layer the dumplings in the steamer in a staggered pattern, cover tightly and steam over rapidly boiling water for about 15 minutes. Staggering the layers lets the steam reach every parcel evenly. They are done when an opened test parcel shows translucent, smooth batter that no longer sticks to the leaf.

   Suggested time: about 15 minutes.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Stir 30 g granulated sugar into 80 g water until dissolved, then add 40 g fish sauce, 15 g lime juice and 10 g minced garlic. A slightly sweet dip brings out the flavor of the shrimp and pork in the thin dumplings. The dip is ready when it tastes balanced between salty and sweet with a gentle tang at the finish.

   Mark step 7 as done