This recipe is dear to my heart, because bánh đúc mặn it's one of my grandpa's favorites. I've always been very close to my paternal grandparents because they took care of me when my parents were at work when I was younger (My maternal grandparents were still in Vietnam at the time). I see them much less now that I don't live in Chicago anymore, but I'd always visit on the holidays. I kept promising my grandpa I'd make bánh đúc for him, but never found the time. This past weekend, he got sick and was hospitalized, so I flew home last minute to visit him, and yes, I finally made the bánh đúc!
Bánh đúc is a steamed cake that's usually made with rice flour and coconut milk. It can be a sweet dish or a savory dish. The sweet dishes are usually flavored with pandan and served with more coconut milk. This savory version of the cake, called bánh đúc mặn (mặn means salty) is topped with a carrot and ground pork mixture and drizzled in nước mắm pha, or a fish sauced based dipping sauce.
Water chestnut flour
This recipe subs water chestnut flour for rice flour. Water chestnuts are boiled, peeled and then dried and ground up into a coarse, chalky flour. The starch is a great thickening agent and makes a really crispy batter for deep frying foods too.
Because the texture of this flour is a bit firmer than plain rice flour, there's no need to steam the bánh đúc. It's a great shortcut! You can find water chestnut flour at any Asian grocery store, or online.
Preserved cabbage
Another ingredient you might be unfamiliar with that plays a starring role in this dish is preserved cabbage. It's very salty, and is often used to flavor dishes. You'll need to rinse it first to get rid of some of the salt before adding to our bánh đúc. This can also be found at an Asian grocery store or online!
Dried Shrimp
I wrote about dried shrimp in my recipe for Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup (Bún Riêu). These shrimp have been sun dried until they're very small, and last forever. I keep mine in the freezer after I've opened the bag. Because they are dried, the impart a very concentrated umami flavor to dishes. They usually always require re-soaking before using in any dish. As always, you can buy them online as well as at any Asian grocery store.
Water chestnut cake with pork topping (Bánh đúc mặn): Step-by-step instructions
For the bánh đúc
Mix together the water chestnut flour, rice flour, coconut milk, water and salt. Heat on medium, stirring constantly until the mixture is thickened. It will be the texture of thick vanilla pudding.
Spoon the mixture into an 8''x11'' (2 qt) casserole dish and smooth out the surface. Let this cool completely to room temp before slicing.
For the topping
Soak the dried shrimp in some warm water and set aside.
Wash and peel the carrots. Dice the onion and scallions while you're waiting for the shrimp to soak. Then, add your carrots, preserved cabbage and shrimp to a food processor. Pulse until everything is finely minced.
In a large pan on medium heat, sweat the onions until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the pork. Break up the ground pork into little pieces with your spatula.
When you no longer see any pink in the meat (about 3-4 minutes), add the carrot mixture. Continue to cook and mix well until carrots are tender. Since they are minced finely, it will only take about 5 minutes. Add the scallions last and turn off the heat.
For the nước mắm pha
Nước mắm pha, also known as nước chấm (literally, water for dipping) shows up EVERYWHERE in Vietnamese cuisine. Making a well balanced nước mắm pha is a rite of passage. With the right ratio of sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar, a really good nước mắm pha can be good enough to drink.
The ratios are simple: One part fish sauce, one part sugar, two parts water, a few birds eye chili peppers, garlic and enough lime juice to mellow everything out.
Once the bánh đúc has cooled completely, cut it into cubes and top with the pork topping. Spoon as much nước mắm pha as you want over the cakes and enjoy!
page says
this looks and sounds absolutely amazing, and your photography is gorgeous! x
Suzanne Nuyen says
Thanks so much Page!
Everything On A Plate says
This sound incredibly delicious! We will definitely try it!
Hailey says
This looks so delicious!!! Thanks for sharing!
Shoppers Gossip says
It looks delicious! Thank you for putting up all the step by step method and ingredients details.
Alexine says
Wow chestnut cake looks pretty and topping was unexpected. I'm curious to taste it!
Ukiyoto Vienna says
wow looks like a an exciting make
aisasami says
This looks super yummy. I have never had a water chestnut cake but I am willing to try!
Hoang vi Fessenden says
Omg I thought I knew this recipe! Love Vietnamese dishes!
Jenn ~ onehoppymomma says
Savor & sweet dishes are my favorite. These look amazing!
Streamed TV Fan says
I can't believe you can make a cake out of water chestnuts. What an interesting recipe!
Elizabeth O says
The presentation is very beautiful. It sure looks delicious too.
Quin Cl says
I have almost drooled reading it. It looks really exotic but very delicious that I might try this one too at home.
Constance k says
look delicious can you substitute pork with something else or does the recipe only work with pork.
Suzanne Nuyen says
You can try using ground chicken or ground turkey! Or if you are vegetarian, then finely chopped mushroom.
Mikhaela says
At vert first glance, It looks like tofu. I wanna try this new cuisine with my family!
haroonejaz says
Cakes are my favorite and I always Love to try new and yummy cake recipes. Your recipe looks yummy to me! I want to try it for sure!
Shnooks says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe it really looks amazing ????????
Neil Alvin says
Hmmm. I would like to try that out someday. 🙂
Joanna says
This recipe sounds so delicious, makes me wonder why I didn't have this cake during my recent trip to Vietnam. I actually brought back some of the dried shrimp and some shrimp paste 🙂
Luna S says
I've never heard of this but it looks pretty good!
Bindu Thomas says
Never heard of this combination. This looks quite interesting. Must try this recipe.
Kat says
Wow, this looks amazing! I’ve never tried water chestnut flour, but it looks delicious. Thank you for sharing this.
Rachael says
I am going to have to track down some water chestnut flour! This is unlike anything I have tried before and I am keen to see what it is like. Do you think you could leave the dried shrimp out of the recipe (I am allergic)? Are you planning to post a sweet version anytime soon?
Suzanne Nuyen says
Yes, I think you could definitely leave out the dried shrimp! The flavor will be a little different, but it will be subtle, so you don't need to worry about it. I can definitely post a sweet version if there's interest 🙂
michelle says
Wow! I have had water chestnuts but did not know they were made into flour or could be used in a cake, this is so interesting and beautiful! Bet it was tasty too ;P
Lisa Arekion says
This looks delicious, I wanna make a vegan version of this!!!
Suzanne Nuyen says
You could probably use any plant-based ground meat like beyond meat or finely chopped mushroom in place of the ground pork!
Magen says
I’m not normally a fan of water chestnuts (it’s a texture thing for me) but this actually looks pretty good. I may have to track down some of that flour and give this a try