vietnam snacks
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vietnam snacksTRANSCRIPT
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-Snacking Vietnam-
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PREFACE
I have always been fascinated by Vietnamese food, not only because it is my mother land, but also
because of the healthiness and the passion present in every dish. The idea for this cookbook has been
nurtured for a long time, even before the topic had been determined. When I think of my vibrant
Vietnam, in my mind I see images of charming street vendors and colorful food stalls selling
appealing umami snacks along the busy pavements. Even so, Bánh mì (stuffed baguette) and Gỏi
cuốn (cold rolls) are the only snacks foreigners know. This cookbook would love to introduce you to
the diversity of snacks in the three main regions of Vietnam, the country where you never have to
worry about missing a meal!
I would like to thank my family, friends and colleagues for the precious support and encouragement
during the production of the book.
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CONTENTS
Introduction
Northern Part
Central Part
Southern Part
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ABBREVIATIONS
tsp: teaspoon (~5ml)
tbs: tablespoon (~150ml)
g: gram
kg: kilogram
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ietnam is a beautiful country in the South East of Asia, spreading from the North Tropic to the
Equator, with a long coastline, two huge river deltas and humid tropical monsoon climate. This
country is fruitful with wheat, seafood, fresh vegetables and herbs all year round. Making use of all
the available and seasonal ingredients, Vietnamese people create their delicious, nutritious and
appealing dishes.
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Rice is a religion in Vietnam. Rice and its produce are used on a
daily basis, from royal meals to street food.
The spirit of Vietnamese cuisine is in the sauce. Fish sauce is popular
all over the country, along with other local sauces made of different
types of fish and shrimp. Giant wooden buckets are used to store fish
or shrimps with a huge amount of salt until fermented. Like durian,
Vietnamese sauces have strong flavors, which you either hate or
become addicted to. Usually it’s the second!
Tropical greens are available throughout the year, providing nice
colours and healthy nutrition to every single dish.
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ars have always been the toughest times for the Vietnamese people, ever since the formation
of the country. Despite the immeasurable damage, wars have actually contributed to the food
culture of this country. Chinese evaders brought chopsticks and soy sauce. French colonists
introduced baguettes and coffee. Americans provided innovation for soft and fluffy ice cream.
People from the S-shaped country have been adjusting the spices to suit their taste and creating
unique dishes balanced between the 5 flavors: sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter. Vietnamese cuisine
is titled the “nouvelle cuisine of Asia”.
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ietnam is divided into three main regions geographically: the Northern region, with the Capital
Hanoi, the Central with the ancient capital city of Hue and the Southern region which has the
modern Ho Chi Minh City. The difference in climate, history and lifestyle between the three regions
results in the variation of food and contributes to the diversity of Vietnamese food culture in general
and snacks in particular. Delicious and appealing dishes are available everywhere on streets - the
best place to enjoy snacks in Vietnam. The fresh ingredients come straight from the crops through
the skillful and experienced hands of traditional women to the consumers. Snacks are served in small
food stalls along the sidewalks, with colorful tiny little plastic seats which are also used as tables.
Snacks are carried and sold in simple patterned baskets carried on the ends of flat bamboo poles, on
the shoulders of petite rural women. Snacks are served to customers while they are squatting on
pavements or still from motorbikes with running engines. The spirit and flavor is so amazing that no
restaurant with air conditioner and proper seats and tables could compare. The atmosphere of
carefree people enjoying snacks in the flow of hectic life is enough to prove the exquisite talent of
Vietnamese people.
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NORTHERN REGION: KINGDOM OF TRADITIONS
Hanoi is not only the capital of the whole country but also the symbol of the Northern cuisine.
Hanoians are known for their sternness in selecting the ingredients as well as balancing the flavours
for a dish. With the rice from the Delta, fish from Red River, meat from farms and vegetables from
mountainous areas, Hoianans have been creating wonderful dishes in many differently methods. You
would always feel appetite rising with the distinct tastes and textures in spite of their same-same
ingredients!
Hanoians do not mind spending the whole day making a snack which will definitely be consumed in
half an hour, but you will find them more interested in spending time enjoying a dish. Despite the
busy pace of life, once they choose a street food stall, they will patiently wait 10-15 minutes for a
little plate of food. As no beauty can be seen in a hurry, they take a little of this, a few of that, a
spoon of these or a pinch of those, carefully mixing them all in. They slowly enjoy every single
flavor after each bite, saying ‘wow’ as if wanting to thank the sellers.
The common thing among most of the Northern snacks is sweet-and-sour dipping sauce. Although it
can be served in different size of bowls, it always plays an essential role in a dish: the soul. It
determines whether the dish is delicious or not, which also means the survival of the food stalls in
the region of such strict food critics.
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Bánh tôm
The giant West Lake inside the city provides people here with a huge advantage: extremely fresh
prawns. These newly caught prawns are marinated and coated in batter before frying. A dip in sweet
and sour sauce with a few slices of crunchy pickled papaya and carrot is perfect to accomplish the
fried cakes. It’s the high time to indulge yourself with this delicacy!
Ingredients:
1. Prawn cake:
- 500g prawns
- 2 eggs
- 100g tapioca starch
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- 200g plain flour
- 300g sweet potatoes
- Spring onions, thinly sliced
- Garlics, finely chopped
- Oil, salt and pepper
2. Dipping sauce:
- Juice from1 coconut
- 1 green papaya
- 1 carrot
- 3 tbs white vinegar
- 2 tbs sugar
- 3 tbs fish sauce
Dipping sauce:
1. Peel and thinly slice papaya and carrot. Soak in salted water for 3 minutes. Drain.
2. Combine sugar, vinegar and fish sauce with half of coconut juice in a bowl. Taste and adjust
the seasonings.
3. Add soaked papaya and carrot.
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Prawn cake:
4. Lightly beat the eggs, add tapioca starch, plain flour salt and pepper. Mix well and let stand for
30 minutes.
5. Peel sweet potatoes, julienne and soak in salted water up to 10 minutes. Drain.
6. Combine julienned sweet potatoes with the batter.
7. Marinate prawns with salt and pepper.
8. Heat oil in a pan. Add garlics, onions and prawns. Stir-fry until prawns change the color.
Remove from heat.
9. Add more oil in the pan. With medium heat, ladle ¼ cup of the batter into hot oil, top with 1
prawn. Fry and flip over until golden brown. Put on kitchen towers to remove excess oil.
Serve hot with dipping sauce.
Cook’s note
- Soak sweet potatoes, papaya and carrot in salted water to remove the resin, preventing them
from discoloring.
- Deep fry the cake with enough oil to cover the surface of the batter.
- Make the dipping sauce up to 1 day in advance to keep the flavours fresh.
- Make batter, quickly fry and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
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When used, fry again until thoroughly cooked and golden brown.
Bánh đúc nóng
Ingredients:
- 240g rice flour
- 900 ml water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbs oil
- 100ml lime water
- 300g minced pork
- 150g shallot
- 50g dry Jew’s ears, soaked in warm water, and chopped
- 20g dry mushrooms, soaked and chopped
- Basils and corianders
Topping:
1. Marinate minced pork with salt and pepper.
2. Chop 50g shallot. Stir-fry shallot, Jew’s ears and mushroom.
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3. Thinly slice 100g shallot, fry them with oil until crispy and golden brown. Remove excess oil
with kitchen towels.
4. Prepare sweet and sour dipping sauce (see Bánh cuốn)
5. For the batter:
6. Combine rice flour and salt in lime water for several hours in the refrigerator.
7. Cook the batter over medium heat, stir constantly until translucent and condensed.
8. Ladle into a bowl, top with stir-fired pork, fried shallot, basils and corianders, drizzle with
sweet and sour sauce, add chili if desired.
Serve hot.
Cook’s note
- Lime water is available in baking shops.
- To make lime water from lime, dissolve 40g solid lime in 300ml water, let stand for several
hours until the sediments come down the bottom. Decant the clear liquid on top into another
bowl and dispose of the sediments. Store in a bottle in the refrigerator up to 3 months.
- Lime water provides a distinct flavor and also encourages human digestion.
Bánh cuốn
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In winter, the average temperature of the capital drops down to around 20 degree with icy wind
blowing.
Ingredients:
1. Skin:
- 230g rice flour
- 40g tapioca starch
- 900ml water
- Pinch of salt
2. Filling:
- 500g minced pork
- 50g shallots, chopped
- 50g Jew’s ears, soaked and chopped
- 10g mushroom, soaked and chopped
- Salt, pepper
3. Topping:
- Fried shallots
- Basils and corianders
4. Dipping sauce:
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Essential equipment:
- Stretch a piece of bright fabric over the top of a big sauce pan. Cut 4 holes symmetrically near
the side.
- A thin bamboo stick or a knife with long and thin blade.
Filling:
1. Preheat oil in a pan. Add shallots and minced poked, stir-fry until nearly cooked. Add Jew’s
ears and mushroom. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Let cool completely
Skin:
1. Combine all ingredients, let stand a few hours in cool place.
2. Add some water into the sauce pan with stretched fabric on top. Boil the water.
3. Quickly spread a ladle of the batter on the fabric, make it round and as thin as possible.
4. Close the lid, let cook for 30 seconds or until becoming translucent.
5. Use a bamboo stick or a knife to remove the skin. Place on a greased pan.
6. Place the filling on the skin, wrap into a cylinder.
7. Keep doing with the rest batter and filling.
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Serve hot with dipping sauce, fried shallot and herbs.
Cook’s note
- Make holes on the fabric allow steam to release and circulate inside the lid to cook the skin
evenly.
- Adjust water and tapioca starch to achieve the desired texture.
Bánh khúc
Ingredients
Bánh giò
Ingredients:
1. Skin:
- 50g rice flour
- 100g tapioca starch
- 650-700ml chicken broth, cooled
- Salt and pepper
- 200mk oil (if the broth has no fat)
- Banana leaves to wrap, boiled and dried
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2. Filling:
- 200g minced pork
- 30g Jew’s ears, soaked and chopped
- 1 onions, chopped
- Salt, fish salt and pepper.
Filling:
1. Quickly stir-fry onions with some drizzles of oil. Let cool.
2. Combine minced pork, Jew’s ears, onions and seasonings.
Skin:
1. Combine all ingredients in a non-stick sauce pan.
2. Cook and stir constantly over medium heat until condensed and still opaque white.
3. Place 1 ladle in the middle of a banana leaf, place a scoop of filling on top. Fold 2 opposite
sides in. fold the other 2 sides to form the shape of a mountain. Secure with string.
4. Steam for about 25-30 minutes
Serve hot with pepper and chili sauce.
Cook’s note
- Banana leaves give the cake nice green color and fresh tropical flavor.
- Aluminum foil and cling wrap can be used as substitution for banana leaves.
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- Use a reasonable amount of skin and filling, ensuring that filling are completely surrounded.
- Adjust amount of water and tapioca starch to achieve the desired thickness of the skin.
Bánh rán mặn
Ingredients:
1. Filling:
- 120g minced pork
- 20g green bean vermicelli, soaked and cut into 2cm pieces
- 20g Jew’s ear, soaked and chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- Salt, fish sauce and pepper
2. Skin:
- 250g glutinous rice flour
- 50g rice flour
- 50g potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
- 30g sugar
- 5g salt
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Filling:
1. Combine all the ingredients
2. Shape into small balls, 25-30g each
Skin:
1. Combine all the ingredients. Let stand for 30 minutes to an hour.
2. Divide the dough into balls, 45-50g each.
3. Thinly spread each ball, place a filling ball in the middle and wrap tightly
4. Deep fry the cake on medium heat. Use chopsticks to gently turn each and every ball.
Serve hot with sweet and sour dipping sauce.
Cook’s note
Ensure there is no bubbles between the skin and the filling or else, these bubbles would cause
dangerous oil pops.
Turn the cakes continuously to cook them evenly.
Bún chả
Ingredients
1. Grilled pork:
- 500g belly pork, thinly sliced
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- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3 gloves of garlics, chopped
- 1 lemongrass, finely chopped
- 2 tbs caramelized dugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- Sugar
2. Grilled pork patties:
- 300g minced pork
- Shallots, chopped
- Fish sauce, salt, pepper and sugar
3. Dipping sauce:
- Fish sauce
- Sugar
- Lime/lemon juice or vinegar
- Garlics and chili, minced
- Water
4. Other ingredients:
- Vermicelli, boiled and drained
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- Lettuce, mints, corianders and marjoram
Dipping sauce:
1. Combine sugar, lime/lemon juice and water together.
2. Gradually add fish sauce until achieve the desired taste.
3. Add garlic and chili.
Grilled pork:
1. Marinate belly pork and minced pork in separate bowls for at least 30 minutes.
2. Shape minced pork into small balls, flatten.
3. Prepare charcoal. Grill belly pork and patties.
Ladle dipping sauce into a big bowl, add grilled pork.
Serve hot with lettuce, herbs and vermicelli.
Cook’s note
- Charcoal gives the pork delicious and distinct flavors.
- Grilled pan and gas stove can be used as substitution for charcoal.
- Dipping sauce should be reheated before served in the winter.
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Bún thang
Café trứng
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of strong coffee
- Honey
- 15g sugar
1. Place the egg, honey and sugar in to a bowl. Put on top of a pan with simmering water. Whisk
constantly until sugar dissolves.
2. Beat the egg until light and fluffy.
3. Reheat coffee to 80-90 degree of Celcius.
4. Transfer black coffee to a cup. Add egg into coffee cup.
Serve hot with extra sugar if desired.
Cook’s note
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- Use free range egg for the best flavor.
- Brew high quality Vietnamese grounded coffee with a filter with the ratio of 100gr of coffee to
45-ml water.
- Double boil the egg to pasteurize it. Heating the egg for too long will make the eggs curdle.
Whisk the egg constantly to make it cook evenly and slowly.
- Bowl and whisks must be clean to be able to beat the egg to ribbon form.
- Gently pour the egg over the back of a spoon to keep it on top of the coffee layer.
- Do not stir too much or the coffee would cool down very quickly.
Chả cá Lã Vọng
Ingredients:
1. Grilled fish:
- 1kg fish fillets
2. Marinade:
- 1tbs salt
- 1tbs black pepper
- 1tbs sugar
- 2tbs purple shrimp sauce
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- 2tbs unsweetened yoghurt
- Galingale powder
- Saffron powder
- Shallots
- Oil
3. Dipping sauce:
- Purple shrimp sauce
- 1tsp rice alcohol
- Sugar
- Garlic, chili, lime juice
4. Other ingredients:
- Vermicelli, boiled and drained
- Mint, coriander, basils, fennel leaves, spring onions
- Roasted peanut
- Oil
Grilled fish:
1. Combine the ingredients to make the marinade.
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2. Cut fish fillet into 3x3cm pieces.
3. Add fish in the marinade, toss to coat each piece well.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Grill fish until nearly done. Remove from heat.
Dipping sauce:
1. Finely chop garlic and chili.
2. Combine purple shrimp sauce, lime juice, sugar and rice alcohol together. Add garlic and chili.
Mix well.
Serving:
1. Cut fennel leaves and spring onion into 3cm pieces.
2. Arrange vermicelli, roasted peanuts, herbs and dipping sauce in separate plates or bowls.
3. Prepare a small portable stove on table. Preheat oil in a pan.
4. Quickly fry fish, spring onions and fennel leaves over high heat until golden brown. Turn off
stove.
Serve hot.
Cook’s note
- Mullet is recommended to have better flavor.
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- Fish can be marinated overnight to sufficient absorb the spices.
- Grill fish over charcoal to get the best result.
- If available, several drops of belostomatid essence should be added in dipping sauce to achieve
the genuinely traditional flavor.
- Sweet and sour dipping sauce can be used as substitution.
Phở cuốn
Ingredients:
1. Noodle rolls:
- 10 fresh rice noodle sheets
- Lettuce, basil and coriander
2. Filling:
- 130g beef
- 2 white onions, thinly sliced
3. Marinade:
- Oyster sauce
- Soy sauce
- Shallots, chopped
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- Sesame oil
- Cooking oil
- Sugar, salt and pepper
4. Dipping sauce:
- Fish sauce
- Lime juice
- Kohlrabi and papaya
- Chili
- Sugar, vinegar and water
Filling:
1. Combine all ingredients, except cooking oil, to make the marinade.
2. Thinly slice beef. Add into marinate. Toss well.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oil. Fry onions and beef over high heat. Remove from heat.
Dipping sauce:
1. Thinly slice kohlrabi and papaya into bite-sized pieces. Mix well with some salt, pepper, sugar
and vinegar. Refrigerate about 30 minutes.
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2. Combine fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, lime juice and water to taste.
3. Add kohlrabi, papaya and chili.
Noodle rolls:
1. Spread a rice noodle sheet on a board.
2. Top with lettuce, coriander, basil and fried beef.
3. Roll tightly.
Serve with sweet and soup dipping sauce.
Cook’s note
- Spread shiny side of noodle sheet outside of the roll to have appealing presentation.
- Beef should be marinated for no longer than 30 minutes or it will lose the meaty juice.
Phở chiên giòn
Ingredients:
1. Crispy noodle cubes:
- 600g rice noodle sheets
- Oil
2. Topping:
- 200g beef, thinly sliced
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- 1 onion
- 1 tomato
- Mustard greens
- Salt and pepper
- Soy sauce
3. Dipping sauce:
- 1 carrot
- Chili, sliced
- Fish sauce
- Vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
- Water
Dipping sauce:
1. Thinly slice carrot.
2. Combine sugar, vinegar and salt together. Add carrot and mix well. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Combine fish sauce, sugar, vinegar and water to taste. Add carrots and chili slices.
Crispy rice noodle cubes:
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1. Cut noodle sheets into 2-centimetre squares.
2. Place 5 squares on top of each other into a pile. Use fingers to press the borders tightly.
3. Deep-fry the rice noodles over medium high heat until crispy and golden brown.
4. Remove from heat and drain any excess oil.
5. Arrange on a deep plate.
Topping:
1. Cut onion and tomato into wedges.
2. In a pan, heat some oil.
3. Add beef wedges and stir-fry.
4. When beef is near cooked, add onion, tomato and mustard greens.
5. Season with salt, pepper and soy sauce to taste. Remove from heat.
6. Pour beef, greens and juice on top of the crispy noodle.
Serve hot with dipping sauce.
Cook’s note
- Do not overcook beef or it will be tough.
- Immerse noodle cubes in oil and turn constantly to cook evenly. Noodle cubes should be crispy
outside but moist and soft inside.
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CENTRAL REGION: REALM OF ROYALTY
Bánh tiêu
Ingredients:
- 350g bread flour
- 235ml warm water (30 − 40𝑜)
- 5g instant active yeast
- 15g sugar
- 5g salt
- 5s baking powder
- Sesame seeds to coat.
- Oil
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
2. Add a quarter of bread flour in yeast solution. Mix well. Cover with wet tea towel and let stand
for 30 minutes to rise in volume.
3. Combine the rest 3 quarters of flour, salt, sugar, baking powder into the dough. Knead well.
Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
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4. Divide dough into even balls.
5. Roll each ball into flat circles. Coat 2 sides with sesame seeds.
6. In a sauce pan, heat oil.
7. Deep-fry flat circles of dough. Remove when golden brown and floating on surface.
8. Remove and place on kitchen towels.
Serve hot with tea if desired.
Cook’s note
- Use 7g of yeast in the winter to ensure the dough can double in volume.
- Immerse each circle in oil and flip to cook evenly. They should swell well while frying.
- Products should be hollow and golden brown.
Bánh cam
Ingredients:
1. Skin:
- 250g glutinous rice flour
- 10g rice flour
- 150g water
- 80g sugar
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- Pinch of salt
- 70-80g potato, boiled until soft, peeled and mashed
- 10ml oil
2. Filling:
- 150g mung bean, soaked in water for several hours
- 3tbs water
- Pinch of salt
- 50g sugar
- 50g grated copra
3. Coating:
- 50g sesame seeds
Skin:
1. Heat water until nearly boil.
2. Dissolve salt and sugar in hot water.
3. Add flour, mashed potato and oil. Mix well.
4. Knead carefully until well combined and smooth.
5. Cover tightly and let stand for 1-2 hours.
Filling:
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1. Steamed mung beans until soft.
2. Mash cooked beans until smooth.
3. In another sauce pan, heat 3tbs water.
4. Dissolve salt and sugar.
5. Add mashed mung bean and stir constantly until dry and thick.
6. Remove from heat. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
7. Divided into 16 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball tightly.
8. Let stand without cover until the surface of each ball dry completely.
Shaping:
1. Divide the dough into 16 equal balls.
2. Flatten each ball. Place a ball of filling in the center.
3. Cover the entire filling ball with the dough. Roll into spheres.
4. Coat each ball with sesame seeds until completely covered.
5. Deep-fry the balls over medium-low heat. Stir continuously until firm and golden brown.
Remove from heat.
Serve hot with tea if desired.
Cook’s note
- Try to remove all air between the skin and the filling or it will explode when frying.
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- After coating in sesame seeds, lightly squeeze each ball to ensure seeds stick firmly.
- Final products must grow in size, be hollow, evenly cooked and crispy.
Bánh khoái
Ingredients:
- 400g rice flour
- 200g beef, thinly sliced
- 200g lean pork
- 300g prawns
- 5 duck eggs
- 100g pork liver
- Garlic and shallots
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Bánh trôi
Bánh bột lọc
Bánh canh cá
Cao lầu
Chí mà phù
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Chè bột lọc bọc thịt quay
Chè hạt sen long nhãn
Tào phớ
SOUTHERN REGION: WORLD OF INTEGRATION
Bột chiên
Bánh khọt
Bánh cống
Bánh quai vạc
Bánh ú nhân thịt
Bánh tráng trộn
Bánh bò hấp
Bánh xèo
Bánh đúc ngọt
Chè trôi nước
Chè chuối
Chuối nếp nướng
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