''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 ...

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,

, and

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.

External links

''Bánh tẻ'' photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banh te Bánh Steamed foods Rice cakes Vietnamese pork dishes Stuffed dishes

Ingredients

Making

Serving

See also

External links