Banh Beo (Hue Steamed Rice Cakes with Shrimp and Scallion Oil)
Banh beo comes from Hue, the old imperial capital of central Vietnam, where it is served as a snack on tiny saucer-shaped plates that each hold a single rice cake. A thin rice flour batter is poured into each dish and steamed until it sets into a soft, slightly sticky disc - translucent at the edges and opaque in the center. Toppings are minimal but precise: dried shrimp ground to a coarse powder, crispy fried shallots, and a drizzle of scallion oil that pools in the concave surface. The dipping sauce - nuoc cham - ties everything together with its sweet-sour-salty balance. Eating banh beo means scraping each little cake off its plate with a flat spoon, one by one, at a pace that makes this a meditative street-food experience.
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Instructions
- 1
Whisk rice flour, tapioca starch, and water into a batter.
- 2
Lightly oil small dishes or molds.
- 3
Pour batter into dishes and steam for 7-8 minutes.
- 4
Boil and mince shrimp, then dry-fry until fluffy crumble forms.
- 5
Warm scallion in oil briefly to make scallion oil.
- 6
Top steamed cakes with shrimp crumble and scallion oil; serve with fish sauce.
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Nutrition (per serving)
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