Vietnamese Steamed Rice Cakes (Banh Beo)

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Resting Time: 2

Total Time: 1

Servings:

Calories: 593kcal

Ingredients

9.2 oz of rice flour NOT glutinous
5 oz tapioca starch
34 fl. oz water
6.7 oz hot water
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Pinch of salt

Toppings, scallion oil, and dipping sauce:

14 jumbo shrimp
2 tsp. annatto oil
2 tsp. fish sauce
Pepper to taste
8 oz. pork fat diced into cubes
1 tsp. salt
½ cup scallions thinly sliced
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ tsp. salt
2/3 cup water for boiling the shrimp shells
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 green chili sliced, optional
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Instructions

Devein the shrimp and boil them for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush them. Season with fish sauce, annatto oil, and pepper to taste. Transfer the shrimp paste to a dry pan and cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until dry and separated. You’ve got homemade shrimp floss!
Dipping sauce: add shrimp shells to a pot with 2/3 cups water and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 5 minutes, then remove the shells. Turn off the heat and add two tablespoons each of sugar and fish sauce. Stir to dissolve and let the sauce cool. Add sliced chili and fresh lime juice. Serve in little sauce bowls.
Scallion oil: heat the oil with sliced scallions and salt until hot, then let it cool.
Pork fat: fry in a pan until crisp with 1 tsp. salt. Scoop the excess fat out.
The batter: combine rice flour, tapioca starch, and 1 liter of water in a large bowl. Whisk well to remove any clumps. Let the batter rest for 1-2 hours. To remove the flour taste, carefully pour away the top layer of liquid and compensate with the same amount of water. Then also add 200 ml of hot water, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and a pinch of salt. Stir the batter well.
Prepare the steamer by filling it ¾ with water. Oil the miniature bowls and let them steam for 5 minutes before adding the batter.
Pour 1-2 tablespoons of batter into each prepared bowl and steam for 5-8 minutes. Cover the lid with a clean kitchen towel to absorb excess moisture.
Transfer the steamed rice cakes to a platter. Top with pieces of pork fat, prawn floss, and drizzle with dipping sauce and scallion oil. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Bánh bèo are Vietnamese steamed rice cakes topped with dried shrimp, crispy pork skin, scallion oil, and dipping sauce. In this bánh bèo recipe, you’ll learn how to make classic bánh bèo, as well as how to customize it according to your taste.

Bánh bèo is a popular street food that originated in Hue, a city in central Vietnam. Like most dishes, the variations differ slightly depending on the region.

Bánh bèo from Quang Ngai is topped with a combination of ground pork and shrimp, along with dipping sauce and scallion oil. Bánh bèo from the South has mung bean paste added to the traditional toppings, which gives it a sweeter flavor.

Why You’ll Love This Bánh Bèo Recipe

In this recipe, I’ll be sharing how to make all the toppings and sauces from scratch. I’m also sharing a secret for achieving perfectly aromatic rice cakes without that overwhelming rice flour flavor.

These Vietnamese savory rice cakes are delightful little morsels that you won’t be able to get enough of. Before you’re able to savor the crispy pork, fishy shrimp, and sweet and sour dipping sauce with chewy and soft rice cake, the bite is gone.

Our savory Vietnamese steamed rice cakes with shrimp can be made in a blink of an eye with a little prep work. The prep may look overwhelming, but you can make the dried shrimp and sauces ahead of time, easing the workload substantially.

I’ve also included plenty of shortcuts and variations in this Bánh bèo recipe. You don’t necessarily need to stick to the traditional toppings of dried shrimp, crispy pork, scallion oil, and dipping sauce. Check the Shortcuts and Variations for more ideas.

What Are Savory Steamed Rice Cakes Made Of?

Here is the list of ingredients to make Vietnamese steamed rice cakes bánh bèo at home. For the batter, you’ll need:

9.2 oz of rice flour (NOT glutinous)
5 oz tapioca starch
34 fl. oz water
6.7 oz hot water
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Pinch of salt

Toppings:

14 jumbo shrimp (or 6 oz dried shrimp or prawns soaked in water for 2 hours)
2 tsp. annatto oil
2 tsp. fish sauce
Pepper to taste
8 oz. pork fat, diced into cubes (you can also use store-bought crispy pork rinds)
1 tsp. salt

Scallion oil:

½ cup scallions, thinly sliced (preferably green parts only)
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ tsp. salt

Dipping sauce:

2/3 cup water for boiling the shrimp shells
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 green chili, sliced, optional
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

How To Make Bánh Bèo At Home

Step 1: Prepare the shrimp floss

Devein the shrimp and boil them for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer them to a mortar and pestle and crush them into a paste. Season with fish sauce, annatto oil, and pepper to taste.

Transfer the shrimp paste to a dry pan and cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until dry and separated. Hello, homemade shrimp floss!

Step 2: Make the dipping sauce

Add the shrimp shells to a pot with 2/3 cups water and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 5 minutes, then remove the shells.

Turn off the heat and add two tablespoons each of sugar and fish sauce, and stir to dissolve. Let the sauce cool.

Step 3: Enhance with Chili, Lime, and Scallion Oil and Serve in Sauce Bowls

Transfer to a bowl and add sliced chili and fresh lime juice, plus some scallion oil. Serve in little sauce bowls.

Step 4: Make the scallion oil

Heat the oil with sliced scallions and salt until hot. Remove from the heat and let cool. This allows the flavor of the scallions to seep into the oil.

Step 5: Prepare the pork fat

Fry the cubed pork fat in a pan with 1 teaspoon salt until crisp. Scoop the excess fat out with a spoon to allow the cubes to get crispy.

Step 6: Prepare and Rest the Rice Flour Batter

Combine rice flour, tapioca starch, and 1 liter of water in a large bowl. Whisk well to remove any clumps. Let the batter rest for 1-2 hours.

Step 7: Add hot water

After 1-2 hours are up, carefully pour away the top layer of liquid (this is where the flour taste is), and compensate with the same amount of water. Then also add 200 ml of hot water, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and a pinch of salt. Stir the batter well.

Step 8: Oil the miniature bowls

Prepare the steamer by filling it ¾ with water. Oil the miniature bowls and let them steam for 5 minutes before adding the batter.

Step 9: Fill Bowls with Batter and Steam

Pour 1-2 tablespoons of batter into each prepared bowl and steam for 5-8 minutes depending on the size of the bowl.

Step 10: Use a Towel-Covered Lid and Pre-Steam Bowls

Cover the lid with a clean kitchen towel to absorb excess moisture. Pre-steam the small bowls before adding the batter.

Step 11: Garnish and Serve the Steamed Rice Cakes

Remove the steamed rice cakes and transfer them to a serving platter. Top with pieces of pork fat, and prawn floss, and drizzle with dipping sauce and scallion oil. Serve immediately for the best flavor.

Notes & Tips

Use a measuring cup to pour the batter into the small bowls. Otherwise, you’re going to get the kitchen all messy.
Whisk the batter before pouring it since it tends to separate.
Don’t skip the step where you remove the top layer of liquid from the batter. This gets rid of that unpleasant rice flour taste so that the rice cakes turn out subtle in flavor.
While steaming the rice cakes, wrap a kitchen towel around the steamer lid to absorb any excess moisture. This will prevent water from dripping on top of the cakes and creating cracks.
Be careful not to burn yourself when removing the rice cakes from the steamer. Use tongs to remove the small bowls carefully.

Shortcuts & Variations

Make the dried shrimp and scallion oil a day ahead. You can even keep the dried shrimp in the fridge for up to 1 week.

For a shortcut, use already-dried shrimp. Simply soak them in water for 2 hours to rehydrate them, then drain them and blend them in a food with a little salt.

Instead of making pork skins from scratch, you can use store-bought crispy pork rinds. Homecooked does taste best though.

To make the Quang Ngai bánh bèo variation, saute garlic with ground pork until browned. Then add fresh cubed deveined shrimp, salt, pepper, annatto oil, and a little fish sauce to season.

You’re welcome to skip the chili if you’re not into that extra kick. Or spice it up with more chili. Either way, these bánh bèo are delectable.

Another delicious topping addition is fried crispy shallots. You can prepare them at home or buy them at the grocery store. Simply deep-fry thinly sliced shallots in hot oil until browned and crisp.

Feel free to add some freshly chopped cilantro to garnish. You can also add crushed salted peanuts instead of dried shrimp.

To make a vegetarian/vegan version of bánh bèo, use mung bean paste (made by soaking mung beans overnight, steaming them, and mashing them in the food processor with a pinch of salt). Top with vegan dipping sauce and crushed salted peanuts.

These are some more classic bánh bèo topping ideas, but you’re welcome to experiment and find flavor combinations you enjoy. I think any crispy veggie or seasoned meat/seafood pairs well. Add some savory sauce and you’re ready to go.