Top 10 Authentic Mekong Delta Cakes Easy to Make at Home

Ingredients:

• 200g palm sugar
• 200g rice flour
• 60g tapioca starch
• 8g baking yeast
• 350ml fresh coconut water
• 40ml water
• Tools: Flour sieve, large bowl, steamer, egg whisk, mixing spoon, cup,...

Instructions:

• Activate the yeast: Mix 40ml water, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 8g baking yeast in a small cup. Stir to create a smooth mixture. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Prepare the cake batter: In a bowl, combine 200g rice flour, 60g tapioca starch, a small spoon of salt, and mix using an egg whisk. Sieve the flour to remove lumps. Add the activated yeast mixture prepared in step 1. Then, pour 250ml of fresh coconut water into the flour mixture. Use a mixing spoon to blend until smooth. Let the batter rest for 1 hour.
• Cook the palm sugar syrup: In a pot, pour 100ml of coconut water and add 200g palm sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves, creating a syrup with a specific color.
• Finalize the batter: After 1 hour of fermentation, stir the batter once more. Then, add the prepared palm sugar syrup and a tablespoon of cooking oil to the bowl. Mix well and continue fermenting for an additional 2 hours.
• Steam the cake: Grease the cake mold to prevent sticking and place parchment paper at the bottom. Pour the fermented batter into the mold. Prepare a steamer and steam the cake for approximately 20 minutes, covered with a cloth to prevent water droplets from falling onto the cake. Steam until the cake is fully cooked.
• Finished product: The coconut jelly cake, with its beautiful golden color, is soft and moist. It is not too dry or crumbly. Enjoy the cake with coconut sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Each small, delicious cake carries the fragrant taste of palm sugar, the richness of coconut, and the delightful crunchiness of sesame seeds, creating a unique and delightful treat.

Ingredients:

• 300g tapioca starch
• 50g rice flour
• 300g coconut milk
• 5g baking powder
• 4-5 eggs
• 100g grated coconut
• 1 small bowl pandan juice
• Sugar, salt, cooking oil/butter

Instructions:

• Take a large bowl, mix coconut milk + pandan juice + sugar.
• Crack eggs into a bowl, beat them and add to the coconut milk-pandan mixture, whisk again.
• Grate the coconut. Heat a small pan and stir-fry the grated coconut with a bit of sugar to enhance the aroma. Once the grated coconut has absorbed the sugar, remove it from the pan.
• Place rice flour, tapioca starch, baking powder in a bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon salt and mix well. Sieve this flour mixture to make it smooth. Then pour the flour mixture into the egg-coconut milk-pandan mixture, stir well and sieve again.
• Clean the small bowls or cake molds, dry them, spread a thin layer of butter or cooking oil on the molds, heat them up, and pour the batter in. Place the molds in the middle of the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until the cake is done. If you don't have an oven, you can pour this mixture into a greased rice cooker, cook as usual.
• To check if the cake is done, insert a toothpick into the cake, if it comes out dry, the cake is ready.
• For each pandan coconut cake, you will need 2 layers, cut the cake into medium-sized pieces and sandwich the grated coconut filling in between. If you don't like the coconut filling, you can mix the grated coconut with the above mixture and pour it into the mold to bake.

Ingredients:

• 15 Fresh non-toxic coconut leaves (still greenish-yellow).
• 30 strands of banana leaf threads (choose threads made from non-toxic coconut leaves for both delicious and safe cakes) or you can substitute with plastic threads (1 roll).
• 400 grams Glutinous rice (choose a good and sticky type for the best taste).
• 100 grams beans (black beans are preferred, white beans, or red beans are also acceptable).
• 200 grams soft-ground dried coconut or coconut milk.
• Pandan leaves or vanilla for added aroma.
• 300 grams Sugar, 1 teaspoon salt.
• 5 ripe Saba bananas.
• 1 large pot for steaming.

Instructions:

• Preparation: Wash and dry the non-toxic coconut leaves in the sun for about 1 hour to make them soft and easy to roll. Roll the leaves into a tube, wrapping around to cover 2/3 of the old circumference. Clean the threads and the pot used for steaming. Soak the glutinous rice for about 12 hours for cleanliness and softness, or you can lightly sauté as a substitute for soaking. Peel and cut the bananas in half.
• Start marinating the bananas with sugar and a little salt for 30 minutes to allow the bananas to absorb the flavors. Boil the beans until soft, do not overcook to maintain their taste, then drain. Next is to stir-fry the glutinous rice, mix the rice, beans, ground coconut (coconut milk), sugar, a little salt, and vanilla and stir well. Then, heat the pan and stir-fry for about 15 minutes.
• Use the pre-rolled coconut leaves to wrap some of the sticky rice mixture, then add bananas and continue to fill with the rice mixture until full. Fold the ends of the leaves, wrap the cake with threads on both ends to secure it. That's how you make coconut leaf-wrapped banana cakes, keep doing this until you run out of ingredients.
• Then, use a large pot that has been prepared, place the cakes in the pot (remember to steam), add a pinch of salt (to avoid uneven cooking), and be sure to add plenty of water (because we have to cook for 2 hours). After 2 hours of continuous cooking, the cakes are done when they have a golden orange color. Now, enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1kg banh khot/banh xeo flour (you can buy this at the supermarket or grocery store, the flour is pre-mixed with turmeric, but if you prefer a more golden color, you can add ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder).
• 400g pork belly
• 300g fresh shrimp
• 3 eggs
• 500ml coconut milk
• 300g mung beans
• 1 carrot
• 1 turnip
• Spring onions
• Red onions: 3
• Shallots: 1
• Seasonings: pepper, sugar, salt, chicken powder,...
• Lime, chili, fish sauce, fresh vegetables (cabbage, lettuce, various herbs)
• Essential tools: Banh khot mold, Clean bowl, Spoon, Ladle

Instructions:

• Step 1: Make batter and filling: Chop spring onions finely. Crack eggs into a bowl, beat well. Mix banh xeo flour, spring onions, eggs, 400ml coconut milk into warm water. Stir well to avoid clumps, let the batter rest for about 15 minutes. Clean shrimp, peel and remove the heads. You can leave them whole or chop them into pieces. Steam the mung beans until they are just cooked. Cut the turnip into small cubes, thinly slice the shallots, and cut the spring onions into sections. Julienne the carrot and turnip, squeeze with a little salt, rinse, and drain.
• Step 2: Stir-fry filling and cook pancakes: Heat the pan, add cooking oil, sauté the shallots until fragrant, then add pork belly, fresh shrimp, and steamed mung beans. Stir-fry briefly, season to taste, then add coconut milk, mix well. Place the banh khot mold on the stove, grease it with oil, then pour the batter in, add the filling in the middle, and cover with the lid. When the pancakes turn golden, the filling has a reddish-brown color, and the spring onions in the oil create a green color, the pancakes are done. Quickly remove the pancakes from the mold.
• Step 3: Make dipping sauce and garnish: Crush garlic and chili. Pour sugar into water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, and chili, mix well. Season to taste for a balanced sweet and sour dipping sauce. Place the pancakes on a plate, garnish with accompanying vegetables and herbs, and enjoy while hot.

The crispy golden crust of banh khot, the flavorful shrimp and pork filling, served with shredded carrots, turnips, and a delicious dipping sauce along with fresh vegetables and herbs, what more could you ask for! Wishing you success with this homemade taste of Western-style banh khot!

Ingredients:

• 200g taro.
• 125ml coconut milk.
• 40g sugar.
• 10g tapioca flour.
• 1 tsp pandan essence. (You can use butterfly pea flowers, fern rhizomes, etc.)
• 100g grated coconut.
• Toasted sesame seeds.
• Tools for making steamed taro pancakes: Peeler, Bowl, Blender, Plate, Steamer basket, Strainer.

Instructions:

• Step 1: Peel and julienne the taro.
• Step 2: Put the julienned taro into a blender, turn on the blender to make the taro smooth.
• Step 3: Strain the blended taro through a strainer, press out all the taro juice.
• Step 4: Mix the strained taro with coconut milk, sugar, tapioca flour, and pandan essence in a large bowl.
• Step 5: Pour the mixture from step 4 into a plate. Then place it in a steamer basket and steam for about 15 minutes until the cake is cooked.
• Step 6: Cut the steamed cake into small, bite-sized strands. Roll each strand in grated coconut. Finally, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on the cake plate to finish.

Ingredients:

• 220g Mikko Huong Xua cassava cake flour
• 1 liter water
• 400ml coconut milk
• 2 pandan leaves
• 100ml cold water
• 1/5 teaspoon salt
• 200g sugar

Instructions:

• Step 1: Cook coconut milk: In a pot, combine 400ml coconut milk, 2 pandan leaves, 100ml cold water, 200g sugar, and 1/5 teaspoon salt to make coconut milk. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer over low heat, stirring continuously. When the coconut milk in the pot is boiling, turn off the heat and let it cool.
• Step 2: Cook cassava cake: Mix cassava cake flour and 1 liter of water in a pot until the flour and water are well blended. Then, place the pot on the stove, use medium heat, and stir the mixture for 4 - 5 minutes until the dough is slightly transparent and sticky. Turn off the heat.
  
• Step 3: Shape the cake: While the cassava cake is still hot, use a mold or a sieve to shape the cassava cake. Under the sieve or mold, place a bowl of cold water, soak the cassava cake in it for about 10 - 15 minutes to make the cake more delicious and chewy.
• Serving: Transfer the cassava cake to a glass, add a few spoons of coconut milk, and enjoy. The coconut-infused jelly cake is even more delicious when served with ice! Don't hesitate, make it for your family to enjoy right away. Good luck!

Ingredients:

• 200g tapioca starch
• 200g high-quality brown rice flour
• 50g pandan leaves
• 240ml coconut milk
• 300g white sugar
• 900ml clean water
• 10g fresh ginger
• 5g salt
• 50g toasted white sesame seeds
• Tools: Large pot, plate, spoon, cake mold, steamer, blender, sieve, mortar, pestle.

Instructions:

• Prepare the flour: Sift 200g of brown rice flour and 200g of tapioca starch into a separate bowl. Clean the pandan leaves, blend them with 400ml water using a blender, and strain through a sieve to extract pandan water. Add salt, 200g of white sugar, and 1/3 can of coconut milk to pandan water, gently stir to dissolve the ingredients. Pour the pandan water mixture and flour into a pre-prepared pot. Use a spoon to mix the mixture until it forms a homogeneous mass, then let the dough rest for 30 minutes. You can adjust the color as desired by adjusting the amount of pandan water. Once the dough has rested, place it on the stove, knead the dough over medium heat until it boils. Then, reduce the heat, use chopsticks to stir occasionally until the dough boils and becomes bubbly for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to make the dough foamy.
• Steam the cake: Spread a thin layer of cooking oil on the prepared mold, then pour the dough into the mold and spread it evenly. Continue to place the dough mold in the steamer that is already boiling. Steam until the dough changes color, then turn off the heat. When the steamed cake is done, use a fork to press it down to make the cake firm. You can check if the cake is cooked by lightly skewering it with a toothpick, if the toothpick does not stick to the dough, the cake is cooked. Let the cake cool outside until it is less hot, then put it in the refrigerator to make it more elastic and delicious.
• Make dipping sauce: Grind a small piece of fresh ginger, squeeze out the juice. You can use pre-ground ginger, but fresh ginger will have a more delicious flavor. Add 500ml of water, 3 tablespoons of tapioca starch, 1/3 can of coconut milk, a little ginger juice, and the remaining sugar to a large bowl and stir well to completely dissolve the mixture. Next, heat the mixture over low heat until it thickens and season to taste.
• Complete the coconut jelly cake: Cut the cake into bite-sized pieces, add the remaining coconut milk and sprinkle with white sesame seeds to use.
• End product: A delicious coconut jelly cake is a cake with a chewy texture and a rich taste. Along with that is the dipping sauce that is not too sweet, the creamy dipping sauce will make the finished product more attractive. The cake will be even more delicious when chilled. You can replace sesame seeds with peanuts when eating the cake.

Ingredients:

Mung Bean Layer:

• 26 grams peeled dried mung beans
• 26 grams sugar
• 67 grams coconut milk
• 17 grams water
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil
• A pinch of salt
• 46 grams tapioca starch
• 7 grams rice flour
• Yellow food color (optional)

Pandan Layer (Sticky Rice Layer):

• 26 grams pandan leaves + 85 grams water for blending
• 47 grams tapioca starch
• 13 grams rice flour
• 7 grams glutinous rice flour
• 26 grams powdered sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 67 grams pandan coconut milk
• 47 grams coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil
• 1/4 teaspoon pandan essence (optional)

Instructions:

• Mung Bean Layer: Soak mung beans in warm water for 3-4 hours. Steam the mung beans until soft. Blend the steamed mung beans and all remaining ingredients (except tapioca starch and rice flour) in a blender. Mix the freshly blended mung bean water with tapioca starch and rice flour, strain through a sieve for smoothness. Add a little yellow food color if desired and wrap this batter tightly.
• Pandan Layer: Clean pandan leaves, blend with water, and strain to get pandan juice. Mix tapioca starch, rice flour, glutinous rice flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix pandan coconut milk, coconut milk, cooking oil, and pour this mixture into the bowl of flour, stir until well combined. Strain the mixture through a sieve.
• Steam the Cake: Brush a thin layer of cooking oil all over the mold to prevent sticking. Place the mold in a steamer, steam for about 5 - 7 minutes. Pour the first layer of pandan, steam for about 2 minutes until the surface of the cake sets, then pour the mung bean layer, steam for another 2 minutes until the batter is used up. Wait for the cake to cool, then remove it from the mold. Store in a cool refrigerator for 2-3 days, and when serving, steam again.

Ingredients:

• Rice flour: 500 grams
• Glutinous rice flour: 250 grams
• Coconut milk: 200 ml
• Sugar: 4 tablespoons
• Spices: pandan leaf powder, fresh coconut, peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, rice paper
• Tools: steamer, pandan tube cake mold
  

Instructions:

• Step 1: Mix a combination of rice flour, glutinous rice flour, and sugar in a large bowl.
• Step 2: Add pandan leaf powder to the bowl, then pour hot water until the mixture thickens. Add about 200ml of coconut milk and mix well. Use a flour sieve, strain the mixture through to remove impurities and make the batter smoother.
  
• Step 3: Prepare a large steamer for the cake, wrap a wet cloth around the steamer's rim to prevent steam from escaping. Pour water into the steamer and bring it to a boil.
• Step 4: Place an iron rod with a base into the steamer and pour the batter into a mold, cover, and wait for 3-5 minutes until the cake is cooked.
• Step 5: Roll the cooked batter in rice paper, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, peanuts, fresh coconut, and enjoy together. It's recommended to eat the cake while it's still warm for the best flavor.
  

Ingredients:

• Rice flour: 270 grams
• Tapioca starch: 30 grams
• Glutinous rice flour: 30 grams
• 1 egg
• Filtered water: 160 ml
• White sugar: 150 grams
• Salt: 1 teaspoon
• Vanilla extract: 6 grams
• Coconut milk: 230 grams
• Tools: Pan, bowl, small cup, glass, egg beater.

Instructions:

• Beat the egg: Crack 1 egg into a bowl. Use an egg beater to beat the egg in the bowl without making it frothy, then add 160ml of filtered water and stir well.
• Mix the flour mixture: In a large bowl, add 270 grams of rice flour, 30 grams of glutinous rice flour, 30 grams of tapioca starch, and vanilla powder. Pour the egg water prepared in step 1 through a sieve into the flour mixture, use a flat spatula to mix well.
• Cook the coconut milk mixture: Put a small pot on the stove, add 150 grams of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 230 grams of coconut milk. Stir and simmer the mixture lightly. Then let it cool.
• Combine the flour with coconut milk and ferment the dough: Slowly pour the coconut milk into the cake batter, knead the dough slowly by hand until it is well blended, not lumpy. After kneading for 10 minutes, add all the remaining coconut milk to the dough and continue kneading until everything is well mixed into a smooth mixture. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap, ferment the dough for 4 - 6 hours.
• Fry the cake: Pour about 50ml of batter into a small cup for easy pouring into the pan and to make equally-sized cakes when fried. Heat a pan on the stove and pour oil, when the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium, then pour the batter into the middle of the pan. Fry the cake until golden on one side, then flip to the other side. Fry until both sides are cooked and golden evenly, the center of the cake rises high, indicating the cake is cooked and can be taken out. Lift the cake onto a plate lined with oil-absorbing paper to absorb excess oil, and the cake will taste better.
• Finished product: The Swallow Nest Cake is fragrant, crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. It is best to eat the cake right after it is made, then the cake will be crispy and sweet. If the fried cake is done correctly, when cooled, the edges will still be crispy, and the inside will be soft. The cake has just the right amount of sweetness, and it will be even more delicious if you dip it in fragrant coconut milk.