''Bánh tẻ'' (literally "rice cakes" in
Vietnamese; also called ''bánh răng bừa'') is a variety of small steamed
rice cake
A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include ...
in
Vietnamese cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine encompasses the foods and beverages originated from Vietnam. Meals feature a combination of five fundamental tastes (): sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and Piquant, spicy. The distinctive nature of each dish reflects one or more ...
. It is a traditional variety of ''
bánh
In Vietnamese, the term ''bánh'' ( or , Chữ Nôm: 餅) translates loosely as "cake" or "bread", but refers to a wide variety of prepared foods that can easily be eaten by hands or chopsticks. With the addition of qualifying adjectives, ' ...
'' from the
Red River Delta
The Red River Delta or Hong River Delta () is the flat low-lying plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries merging with the Thái Bình River in Northern Vietnam. ''Hồng'' (紅) is a Sino-Vietnamese word for "red" or "crimson". T ...
region of northern
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. ''Bánh tẻ'' are made of
rice flour
Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...
, wrapped with
Lá dong
''Stachyphrynium placentarium'' is a species of plant in the family Marantaceae. Its basionym was ''Phyllodes placentaria'' Lour.de Loureiro J (1790) ''Fl. Cochinch.'' 1: 13. and was subsequently long placed as various species in the genus '' P ...
leaves into a long, thin cylindrical shape, and boiled thoroughly.
''Bánh tẻ'' is considered one of the most typical dishes of
Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, although it may also be found in other parts of the country. The flavors and ingredients of ''bánh tẻ'' vary from region to region.
Ingredients
''Bánh tẻ'' are made of plain (non-
glutinous) white rice (called ''gạo tẻ'' in Vietnamese),
minced pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
shoulder, Judas's ear fungus (''
Auricularia auricula-judae''),
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...
, salt,
pepper. Some variants of ''bánh tẻ'' include peanuts and chopped
shiitake
The shiitake (; ''Chinese/black mushroom'' or ''Lentinula edodes'') is a macrofungus native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed around the globe.
Taxonomy
The fungus was first described scientifically as '' Agaricus edodes'' by ...
mushrooms.
Making
In order to make ''bánh tẻ'', rice is first soaked in water until it is soft enough, then it is ground by hand with a grindstone to turn rice into a thick or watery mixture of water and rice powder. This mixture is cooked to a temperature above 50 degrees Celsius (but not to boiling) while it is stirred for 3 hours until it reaches the consistency of thick slurry.
For the filling,
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
,
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...
, and
shiitake
The shiitake (; ''Chinese/black mushroom'' or ''Lentinula edodes'') is a macrofungus native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed around the globe.
Taxonomy
The fungus was first described scientifically as '' Agaricus edodes'' by ...
mushrooms are finely minced and combined.
To compose the dish, a layer of rice paste is layered onto a leaf, followed by a layer of filling, and then another layer of rice paste. The final ''bánh'' is then wrapped with the leaves tied with thread or string, forming slender cylinder. The last step involves
steaming
Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. This is often done with a food steamer, a kitchen appliance made specifically to cook food with steam, but food can also be steamed in a wok. In the American Southwest, steam pits used for cooking ha ...
the ''bánh tẻ'' for 20 minutes until fully cooked.
Serving
''Bánh tẻ'' are served with ''
nước mắm'' (fish sauce) and sprinkled with
black pepper
Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...
. Unlike some varieties of ''bánh'', which are prepared only seasonally or for particular festivals, ''bánh tẻ'' are made all year round.
See also
*
Bánh
In Vietnamese, the term ''bánh'' ( or , Chữ Nôm: 餅) translates loosely as "cake" or "bread", but refers to a wide variety of prepared foods that can easily be eaten by hands or chopsticks. With the addition of qualifying adjectives, ' ...
*
Bánh chưng
*
Bánh tét
*
Corunda
Corunda is a Mexican type of tamale, but wrapped in a long corn or reed plant leaf, and folded, making a triangular shape or spherical shape. They are typically steamed until golden and eaten with sour cream (Mexican crema) and red salsa. Unlik ...
*
Hallaca
*
Lo mai gai
*
Pamonha
Pamonha () is a traditional Brazilian food. It is a boiled paste made from sweet corn whisked in coconut milk, typically served wrapped in corn husks.
See also
* Bollos ( Panamanian cuisine)
* Chimaki, from Japan
* Humita
* List of Brazilian di ...
*
Pasteles
*
Suman
*
Tamale
A tamale, in Spanish language, Spanish , is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of ''masa'', a dough made from nixtamalization, nixtamalized maize, corn, which is steaming, steamed in a corn husk or Banana leaf, banana leaves. The wrapping ...
*
Zongzi
''Zongzi'' () or simply ''zong'' () is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with a range of fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. Fillings can be either sweet, such as red bean paste, or savory, such as pork belly or ...
External links
''Bánh tẻ'' photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banh te
Bánh
Steamed foods
Rice cakes
Vietnamese pork dishes
Stuffed dishes