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Crispy cakes - despite the strange name, they are actually a simple, humble, and familiar pastry from various regions like Central, Western, and Southern Vietnam such as Tuy Hoà, Nha Trang, Kiên Giang... Crispy cakes differ from region to region, but they all share the same irresistible qualities: crispy exterior, soft and slightly chewy interior, and a distinctive aroma.
- Famous crispy cakes (image collection)
1. Introduction to Vũng Tàu-style Crispy Cakes
Circular-shaped cakes, as large as tea bowls, are baked in molds greased with oil. Making this cake is not complicated but requires the skillfulness of the cook.
The most challenging step is mixing the cake batter, which determines the quality of the cakes. Rice flour is mixed with water and coconut milk in a certain ratio. If there is more water than flour, the cake batter becomes loose, making the cakes easily breakable during frying or when removed from the tray, resulting in a lack of crispiness. Adding more flour than the specified amount of water will make the cake batter thick, causing the cakes to be tough and not delicious.
- Preparing the batter for banh khot (image source)
Delicious Banh Khot should neither be too thick nor too thin, with cakes that are crispy yet chewy. The crust should have a slightly dark yellow color, while the inside of the cakes should be pure white, decorated with small pieces of green scallions and red shrimp.
The filling of banh khot is crafted from fresh, peeled shrimp. Furthermore, the golden crispy shrimp adds visual appeal and delightful fragrance to the banh khot. Making crispy shrimp is relatively simple but demands considerable time. Purchased shrimp are cleaned, boiled until tender, peeled, and their meat finely mashed. Heat a skillet on the stove, add the finely mashed shrimp, and fry until smooth and dry. The peeled shrimp and scallions enhance the flavor and nutritional value of the cake.
Banh Khot is incomplete without accompanying dishes and dipping sauce. In Vung Tau, Banh Khot is served with papaya salad. Shredded papaya is dipped in sauce, offering a sweet, sour, and crunchy taste. The dipping sauce in Banh Khot is a crucial factor in determining its flavor. It varies depending on the chef and contributes to the unique identity of each eatery.
- Banh khot (image source)
2. Guide on making Banh Khot
Ingredients
Rice flour: 300g
Coconut milk: 1/2 cup
Shrimp: 400g
Scallions, cooking oil, green papaya, herbs, turmeric powder
Delicious fish sauce, garlic, chili, sugar, vinegar, filtered water
Steps to make the cake
+ Peel and devein shrimp, remove black vein, wash thoroughly, marinate with a little seasoning powder.
- Peeled shrimp (image source)
+ Heat a pan on the stove, add cooking oil, sauté the scallions until fragrant, then add 200g of shrimp and stir-fry briefly.
+ Boil the remaining 200g of shrimp until cooked, finely mash. Heat a pan on the stove, add the finely mashed shrimp and fry until smooth and dry.
+ Finely chop scallions, sauté with a little fat.
+ Clean the herbs, arrange them on a plate.
+ Put flour in a bowl, add coconut milk and cold water, season with a little salt, seasoning powder, stir well. Let the batter soak for about 10 minutes, then add turmeric powder and chopped scallions, stir well.
+ Place the cake mold on the stove, adjust to medium heat. When the mold is hot, evenly spread oil on the small molds. Pour the batter into 2/3 of the mold, cover for about 30 seconds until the cake is slightly cooked, then place shrimp on top of the cake.
- Pouring batter into banh khot mold (image source)
+ Cover and cook until the cakes are golden and crispy (about 1 minute), use long chopsticks or a small spoon to remove the cakes, then top with a bit of scallion oil and crispy shrimp.
- Crispy shrimp, scallion oil sprinkled on banh khot (image source)
Steps to make dipping sauce
+ Crush garlic and chili until smooth.
+ Clean green papaya, julienne, sprinkle with salt.
- Green papaya julienned for serving with banh khot (image source)
+ Pour sugar into water and stir to dissolve the sugar.
+ Add vinegar, fish sauce, garlic, chili to the sugar water.
- Fish sauce dipping for banh khot (image source)
+ Squeeze in an extra lime wedge.
+ Squeeze out excess water from the papaya, add to the dipping sauce.
Take a cabbage leaf, a lettuce leaf, on top are various herbs such as water spinach, shredded papaya, Vietnamese balm… pick up a piece of banh khot, roll it up, dip it into the dipping sauce. Bite into the golden-brown Banh Khot, taste the pure rice flour flavor, feel the rich greasiness of the oil soaked into the crust, the aroma of scallion, the savory taste of peeled shrimp, the sourness of papaya salad, and the enticing fragrance of the dipping sauce…
- Banh khot served with fish sauce, fresh herbs (image source)
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