Sticky rice dumplings (banh nep)
Banh nep is a countryside treat from the Red River Delta. A soft white shell of glutinous rice flour wraps around nutty mung beans and pork stir-fried with fragrant shiitake mushrooms. The dumplings are folded into banana leaf pyramids and steamed, and when you unwrap them, the shell is translucent, smooth and chewy, scented with banana leaf.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Prep
- 1 hr
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rising or chilling
- 2 hr 30 min
- Total time
- 4 hr 5 min
- Method
- Steamed
Ingredients
Glutinous rice shell
Mung bean and pork filling
Banana leaves for wrapping
Instructions
Step 1
Rinse 150 g split peeled mung beans well and soak them in warm water for about two hours. Properly soaked beans steam quickly, mash smoothly and are never gritty. The beans are ready when they are plump and split easily when pressed lightly between two fingers.
Step 2
Drain the mung beans, spread them evenly in a steamer and steam for about twenty minutes until soft, then mash them while still hot. Beans mashed while hot turn smooth easily and mix well with the pork. They are ready when they are a rich golden yellow and mash into a fine, crumbly paste with a spoon, with no hard bits left.
Step 3
Soak 10 g dried shiitake mushrooms and 5 g dried wood ear mushrooms until soft, then chop them finely. Fry 20 g shallots until fragrant, add 200 g ground pork and the mushrooms and stir-fry over medium heat for about seven minutes. Season with 10 g fish sauce and a pinch of ground black pepper, then mix with the mung beans and divide into ten balls. Cooking the pork and mixing it with the beans gives a pliable, dry filling that rolls easily and does not wet the shell. The filling is ready when the balls hold their shape, release no liquid and smell clearly of shiitake.
Step 4
Mix 400 g glutinous rice flour, 50 g rice flour and 3 g salt, then gradually pour in 340 g warm water, kneading as you go and checking how soft the dough is. Finally add 10 g vegetable oil, knead until smooth, cover and let it rest for twenty minutes. A little regular rice flour helps the shell hold its shape so it does not slump after steaming. The dough is ready when it is as soft and smooth as modeling clay, does not stick to your hands and does not crack when flattened.
Step 5
Wipe 250 g banana leaves clean, cut them into squares about twenty centimeters wide, blanch them in boiling water until supple, then brush a thin layer of vegetable oil (to taste) on the side that will touch the dumpling. Supple leaves do not tear when folded into pyramids, and the oil keeps the dumplings from sticking when you unwrap them. The leaves are ready when they are soft, glossy green and fold without snapping.
Step 6
Divide the dough into ten portions and press each one into a small cup shape. Set a ball of filling in the center, pinch the opening closed and shape it into a rounded oval, then place it on a leaf, fold the leaf into a pyramid and tuck it closed. An evenly thick shell lets the dumplings cook through at the same time without the filling showing. They are ready when the leaf hugs the dumpling snugly, the tip is neat and pointed and the flat base stands steadily.
Step 7
Stand the dumplings upright in the steamer with gaps between them and steam over high heat for about thirty-five minutes once the pot is at a steady boil. The gaps let steam flow around each one, so the glutinous shell turns translucent from the outside in. They are done when an opened leaf reveals a translucent shell that feels sticky and chewy when pressed, with no opaque white core.
Step 8
Turn off the heat, lift off the steamer and let the dumplings rest for about ten minutes before unwrapping. The glutinous shell needs to cool a little to firm up, so the leaves peel off neatly without sticking. They are ready when the shell comes away from the leaf easily and keeps its shape.
Equipment
- Steamer
- Nonstick skillet
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Kitchen scale
Tips
- You can tint the shell with blended mugwort juice to make green mugwort banh nep, a fragrant specialty of north central Vietnam.
- For a richer filling, use minced pork belly instead of lean ground pork.
- Dipping your hands in water mixed with a little oil while shaping keeps the shell smooth and stops it from sticking to your hands.
Storage
Left in their leaves, the dumplings keep for one day at room temperature or three days in the fridge. The glutinous shell hardens when chilled, so steam them again for about ten minutes to make them soft and chewy as new.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The shell slumps and sticks firmly to the leaf.
- The dough had too much water or the leaves were not oiled. Use less water when kneading and always brush the leaves with a thin layer of oil before wrapping.
- The shell cracks and the filling shows after steaming.
- The dough was a little dry or the shell was thin in one spot. Knead in a little more warm water to make the dough more pliable and spread the shell evenly around the filling.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
