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BANH CAM / BANH RAN
From what I've been told, banh cam and banh ran are nearly identical to one another, minus some nuanced regional differences. Crisp on the outside and chewy inside, these golden-fried glutinous balls are speckled with sesame seeds and filled with a sweet mung bean paste. One of the most beloved Vietnamese desserts and for obvious reason. I mean, they are deep-fried balls of sweet mung bean-filled joy. |
Bánh rán
is a deep-fried glutinous rice ball from northern Vietnamese cuisine. In Vietnamese, bánh is a category of food including cakes, pies, and pastries, while rán means "fried."
Its outer shell is made from glutinous rice flour, and covered all over with white sesame seeds. Its filling is made from sweetened mung bean paste, and scented with jasmine flower essence.photo Traditionally, the filling should be separated from the shell so that if one shakes the bánh rán, one can feel the filling rattle against the inside of the shell.
In southern Vietnam, a similar dish, called bánh cam, is nearly identical to bánh rán, but does not contain jasmine essence. A further difference is that for bánh cam the filling does not need to be separated from the shell.
. In Southern Vietnam bánh cam is different from bánh rán as the Northern version is traditionally eaten with a sugary syrup that is poured over the pastry.
ingredients:
Mung bean filling
8 oz split peeled mung beans
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
dough
2 1/2 cup water plus extra 1/4 cup
1 cup sugar
16 oz bag glutinous rice flour
1 cup rice flour
2 tbs baking powder
2/3 cup mash potato flakes
directions:
Soak mung beans overnight or at least 1 hr in warm water. Steam until soften and easily smashed with your finger tips, roughly 20 minutes (or longer if not soaked overnight). In meantime, dissolve sugar in warm water. When mung bean has cooled, transfer to mixing bowl and coarsely mash. Add the sugar water mixture and coconut and mix well. The texture should be like mashed potatoes. Allow to cool and form small quarter size balls of mung bean. Refrigerate covered.
Dissolve the sugar in 2 1/2 cup of warm water. In large mixing bowl, add sugar mixture and the potato flakes and stir to dissolve. Then add the baking powder and stir to dissolve. Finally add the two types of rice flour and mix together to form a big ball of dough. There is no need to knead the dough. The dough should be a wet play-dough consistency. Add a few tablespoons at a time of the extra 1/4 cup of water to the dough and mix well if it's too dry or gets to dry when working. Pinch off a golf ball sized piece of dough and form into a ball. Flatten to a disk with palm of your hands and thin out the edges to form a pancake. If the dough cracks at the edges, it's too dry. Add a few tablespoons at a time of the 1/4 cup of water to the dough and mix well. Place the filling in the center and fold dough edges together and seal seams by rolling in the palm your hands.
Roll in a bowl of sesame seeds to cover completely. Roll in the palm of your hands to make sure the sesame seeds stick.
Cover loosely at room temperature and allow to rest for at least 1 hour. Fry at 325 degrees, rotating the banh cam frequently for even frying. It's okay to fry many at a time as you want them to be submerged in oil for even frying. When golden brown, remove and drain and enjoy.
Cooks Note: You can delay the frying i.e. make this in advance beyond than 1 hour time to rest, but we wouldn't wait any more then 1 day before frying. To reheat, toast in toaster oven until crispy.
is a deep-fried glutinous rice ball from northern Vietnamese cuisine. In Vietnamese, bánh is a category of food including cakes, pies, and pastries, while rán means "fried."
Its outer shell is made from glutinous rice flour, and covered all over with white sesame seeds. Its filling is made from sweetened mung bean paste, and scented with jasmine flower essence.photo Traditionally, the filling should be separated from the shell so that if one shakes the bánh rán, one can feel the filling rattle against the inside of the shell.
In southern Vietnam, a similar dish, called bánh cam, is nearly identical to bánh rán, but does not contain jasmine essence. A further difference is that for bánh cam the filling does not need to be separated from the shell.
. In Southern Vietnam bánh cam is different from bánh rán as the Northern version is traditionally eaten with a sugary syrup that is poured over the pastry.
ingredients:
Mung bean filling
8 oz split peeled mung beans
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
dough
2 1/2 cup water plus extra 1/4 cup
1 cup sugar
16 oz bag glutinous rice flour
1 cup rice flour
2 tbs baking powder
2/3 cup mash potato flakes
directions:
Soak mung beans overnight or at least 1 hr in warm water. Steam until soften and easily smashed with your finger tips, roughly 20 minutes (or longer if not soaked overnight). In meantime, dissolve sugar in warm water. When mung bean has cooled, transfer to mixing bowl and coarsely mash. Add the sugar water mixture and coconut and mix well. The texture should be like mashed potatoes. Allow to cool and form small quarter size balls of mung bean. Refrigerate covered.
Dissolve the sugar in 2 1/2 cup of warm water. In large mixing bowl, add sugar mixture and the potato flakes and stir to dissolve. Then add the baking powder and stir to dissolve. Finally add the two types of rice flour and mix together to form a big ball of dough. There is no need to knead the dough. The dough should be a wet play-dough consistency. Add a few tablespoons at a time of the extra 1/4 cup of water to the dough and mix well if it's too dry or gets to dry when working. Pinch off a golf ball sized piece of dough and form into a ball. Flatten to a disk with palm of your hands and thin out the edges to form a pancake. If the dough cracks at the edges, it's too dry. Add a few tablespoons at a time of the 1/4 cup of water to the dough and mix well. Place the filling in the center and fold dough edges together and seal seams by rolling in the palm your hands.
Roll in a bowl of sesame seeds to cover completely. Roll in the palm of your hands to make sure the sesame seeds stick.
Cover loosely at room temperature and allow to rest for at least 1 hour. Fry at 325 degrees, rotating the banh cam frequently for even frying. It's okay to fry many at a time as you want them to be submerged in oil for even frying. When golden brown, remove and drain and enjoy.
Cooks Note: You can delay the frying i.e. make this in advance beyond than 1 hour time to rest, but we wouldn't wait any more then 1 day before frying. To reheat, toast in toaster oven until crispy.