Secrets to Making Fragrant and Chewy Mung Bean Cakes – Mytour

Mung bean cakes are not just sweet treats adored by many but also closely associated with childhood memories. Though the process of making these cakes may seem simple, it requires a great deal of finesse and attention to detail. For those who love mung bean cakes and want to try making them at home, these compiled recipes from Mytour will help you successfully prepare delicious batches of cakes. 

1. Introduction to mung bean cakes

Mung bean cakes are a famous sweet delicacy in Vietnam. The ingredients for making these cakes are simple, including peeled mung beans, sugar, vegetable oil (or lard), and vanilla. After a few processing steps, the final product is smooth mung bean paste with just the right amount of sweetness, best enjoyed with green tea to create a relaxing sensation.

Photo: Collected

This humble cake from the Northern Delta region has a long history, with the most renowned being the mung bean cake from Hai Duong. According to numerous accounts, in ancient times, King Bao Dai once traveled through Tran Hai Duong and was presented with a mung bean cake by the locals. Impressed by its taste, the king praised it highly. Upon his return, the king commended Hai Duong's mung bean cakes. Subsequently, the cakes were adorned with the image of the 'Golden Dragon' to symbolize the monarch's authority. 

Today, mung bean cakes have evolved into a celebrated delicacy, cherished by diners both locally and internationally. There is now a plethora of variations, offering novel flavors such as mung bean cake with durian, mung bean cake with taro, and mung bean cake with lotus seeds…

Photo: Collected

2. Traditional Mung Bean Cake Recipe

With just a few simple steps, you can successfully prepare fragrant and delicious mung bean cakes. Let's prepare the ingredients and get started with Mytour. 

Prepare the Ingredients

• Peeled mung beans: 500g
• Sugar: 250g
• Vanilla: 1 tube
• Coconut milk: 100ml
• Vegetable oil

Ảnh: Collection

Prepare the Ingredients

Step 1: Cooking the Mung Beans

• Soak the mung beans in warm water for about 1 hour until they become soft.
• Put the beans in a pot, add enough water to cover them, and cook over medium heat until the beans are tender. Stir frequently and add water as needed to prevent burning.
• Transfer the cooked mung beans to a blender and blend until smooth. 

Step 2: Shaping the Mung Bean Cake

• Place a pot on the stove over low heat, add the blended mung beans, 100ml of coconut milk, and 1 vanilla pod.
• Stir thoroughly until the mung bean mixture forms a smooth block and no longer runs, then turn off the heat.
• Brush a thin layer of cooking oil onto the mold. When the mung bean mixture cools down a bit, transfer it into the mold, press evenly with your hands to create clear and attractive shapes for the cakes. 

Ảnh: Collection

Finished Product

The mung bean cake is soft, smooth, fragrant, and has a rich coconut flavor that is very pleasing to the palate. Enjoying the cake with a hot cup of tea is simply delightful. 

Ảnh: Collection

3. Recipe: Fruit Mung Bean Cake

The fruit mung bean cake has a beautiful appearance and color. It will be a fascinating gift for children. 

Preparing the Ingredients

• Unpeeled mung beans: 1kg
• Sugar: 900g
• Coconut milk: 1 can (200ml)
• Agar-agar powder: 1 packet (25g)
• Food coloring specifically for sweet treats

Ảnh: Collection

Preparation Method

Step 1: Making mung bean paste

• Soak mung beans in warm water for about 4 hours.
• Wash the beans thoroughly then steam until tender.
• Grind the mung beans with 150ml of filtered water and coconut milk. Divide 1kg of mung beans into 4-5 portions for easier grinding.
• Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove any remaining coarse bean particles.
• Transfer the smooth mixture to a non-stick pan. Set the heat to low and cook the mung bean mixture until it forms a smooth, elastic dough.
• Add sugar and a little glutinous rice flour to help the mung bean paste bind well and become smoother. Continue cooking until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Ảnh: Collection

Step 2: Shaping the mung bean cakes

• Take a fingertip-sized amount of dough and knead it in both hands until smooth and elastic.
• Roll it into a round shape and mold it as desired.
• Use skewers to place the cakes on top for easier dipping into the agar mixture. 

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Step 3: Dip the cakes in the agar mixture

• Soak half a packet of agar agar in 1 liter of water for about 15 minutes, then bring it to a boil and stir until the mixture boils.
• Let the agar mixture cool completely before dipping the skewered cakes. Dip them about 2 times to evenly coat with agar and enhance the color.

Step 4: Paint the cakes with color

• Mix food coloring with a little water
• Use a flat brush dipped in the colored water and paint onto the cakes
• Paint fruit colors according to their characteristics such as carrot with orange color, chili with red color, papaya with yellow color 
• After painting, dip them again in a layer of agar agar to make the colors glossy and attractive. 

Finished Product

A small, lovely tray of fruit-flavored mung bean cakes, beautifully designed, is sure to delight both children and adults. The sweet, chewy taste brings back memories of childhood cakes.

Photo: Collection

4. Recipe: Coconut-Infused Baked Mung Bean Cake

Variation from the traditional mung bean cake recipe, the coconut-infused baked mung bean cake requires slightly more intricate ingredients but the process remains simple. Here's how to make a deliciously unique mung bean cake easily at home. 

Prepare the Ingredients

• Mung beans: 200g
• Coconut milk: 200ml
• Condensed milk: 50g
• Sugar: 180g
• All-purpose flour: 50g
• Cornstarch: 70g
• Vanilla extract: 2.5ml 
• Butter: 25g
• Whipping cream: 160ml

Photo: Collection

Recipe Instructions

Step 1: Cook Mung Beans

• Soak 200g mung beans in warm water for 4-5 hours. Rinse the mung beans again and drain.
• Put the soaked mung beans into a pot and pour water to cover the beans.
• Cook the mung beans over low heat until they swell and become tender, then turn off the heat and let them cool. Stir the mung beans while cooking to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot. 
• Grind the cooked mung beans into a smooth paste. 

Step 2: Mix the Mung Bean Mixture 

• Combine the ground mung beans, 70g cornstarch, 50g all-purpose flour, 180g sugar in a bowl.
• Then add 200ml coconut milk, 50g condensed milk, 160ml whipping cream, 2.5ml vanilla extract, and 25g butter to the mixture.
• Use a spatula to mix the mixture thoroughly until smooth. 
• Strain the mixture through a sieve to make the cake soft and smooth without many air bubbles. 

Step 3: Pour the Mixture into the Mold and Bake

• Preheat the oven to 160°C for about 15 minutes.
• Line the mold with parchment paper or spread a thin layer of butter on it.
• Pour the mung bean mixture into the mold. Lift the cake mold with your hands and gently tap it on the table to remove air bubbles inside. This will result in a smoother and more beautiful cake when sliced.
• Bake the mung bean cake for about 50-60 minutes at 150°C.
• If the surface of the cake cracks, reduce the temperature and bake for longer to avoid affecting the final product. 

Finished Product

The finished mung bean cake has a beautiful golden brown color, with a soft and smooth surface. Taking a bite, you can taste the sweet milk and creamy coconut flavor, which is truly delightful. Enjoying this cake with tea is simply the best. 

Ảnh: Sưu tầm

5. Tips for Making Mung Bean Cake

• To enhance the flavor of the cake, you can refrigerate the mung bean cake for a few hours.
• Choose large, beautiful green mung beans for better taste and appearance, and make sure they are free from pests.
• If you accidentally use too much oil when frying the mung beans, you can prevent burning by adding roasted flour. Sprinkling a little flour into the mung beans will help absorb excess moisture. However, avoid adding too much flour as it may affect the sweet taste of the mung beans.
• You can fry the mung beans with butter to enhance the aroma instead of using cooking oil.
• When pressing the mung bean cake, press firmly to prevent it from breaking and to create a clear, beautiful shape.

Mung bean cake that is both delicious and nutritious will please both adults and children alike. Why not try making mung bean cakes for the whole family to enjoy? Following the recipes above, you're sure to succeed.

See more:

• How to make mooncakes with mung bean filling
• How to make mung bean filled sticky rice cakes