How to Make Steamed Pandan Banh Bo Bong: Soft, Fluffy & Fragrant

Banh Bo Bong and Banh Thuan often get confused due to their similar appearances. Here's a simple guide to distinguish between these traditional Vietnamese cakes:

• Banh Bo Bong (Steamed Rice Cake): Made with rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, and yeast (or baking powder), often with food coloring. It has a chewy texture, a pronounced bloom, and a distinct coconut aroma.
• Steamed Banh Thuan: Uses wheat flour (or tapioca starch), eggs, sugar, and food coloring. It's light, airy, has an eggy aroma, and typically blooms evenly into a neat flower shape.
• Baked Banh Thuan: Made with chicken eggs, sugar, arrowroot flour, and vanilla. It has a slightly crispy crust and a unique aroma from the arrowroot flour and eggs.

>>> How to Make Fragrant Pandan Bánh Bò (Vietnamese Steamed Rice Cake)

>>> No-Bake Coconut Bánh Bò Sandwich (Bánh Bò Kẹp Dừa) Recipe

>>> Authentic Vietnamese Bánh Bò Thốt Nốt - Oven Recipe

Now, let's dive into making delicious Steamed Pandan Banh Bo Bong!

Ingredients for Steamed Pandan Banh Bo Bong

• 600g Rice Flour
• 600g White Sugar
• 600ml Water
• 3 pieces of Vietnamese Rice Wine Yeast (men cơm rượu)
• 1 tube Vanilla Extract
• Pandan Leaf Extract (nước cốt lá dứa)

Instructions for Making Steamed Pandan Banh Bo Bong

Step 1: Prepare the Yeast Starter (Bột Cái)

- Finely grind the 3 pieces of Vietnamese rice wine yeast. Mix them thoroughly with 100g of rice flour.

- Gradually add about 200ml of warm water, kneading the mixture until it's very smooth, pliable, and slightly runny.

- Cover the bowl tightly and let it ferment in a warm place or under sunlight for about 4–6 hours until the starter has expanded. The fermentation time may vary depending on ambient temperature.

Step 2: Second Kneading and Fermentation

- Place the remaining 500g of rice flour into a large bowl. Add the fermented yeast starter to it.

- Pour in another 300ml of warm water and knead thoroughly until the dough is soft and smooth.

- Cover the bowl tightly again and let the dough ferment for a second time, for about another 4 hours, until it has risen significantly.

Step 3: Prepare Sugar Syrup and Final Dough Mixture

- In a pot, combine 600g of sugar with 1 liter of warm water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let the sugar syrup cool until it's just lukewarm.

- Pour the lukewarm sugar syrup into the fermented dough. Knead vigorously to ensure the sugar syrup is fully incorporated into the dough.

- At this stage, you can add pandan leaf extract to give the cake its characteristic green color and aromatic fragrance.

- Continue to ferment the dough for a third time, for approximately 6 hours, until the surface of the dough is bubbly and porous.

Step 4: Steaming the Banh Bo Bong

- Place a steamer pot on the stove, add water, and bring it to a rolling boil. While the water is heating, place your Banh Bo Bong molds or small heatproof bowls into the steamer to preheat them thoroughly.

- Carefully remove the hot molds from the steamer. Pour the fermented dough into each mold.

- Place the filled molds back into the steamer and steam until the cakes are cooked through.

- To check for doneness, insert a small bamboo skewer into a cake. If no wet batter sticks to the skewer, the cake is cooked.

- Mix 1 tube of vanilla extract with 5ml of filtered water. Once the cakes are cooked, dip a bamboo skewer into the vanilla water and gently pry the cakes out of their molds.

We wish you success with this Steamed Pandan Banh Bo Bong recipe!