Bánh Cam: A Golden Sesame Shell Around Soft Mung Bean Paste
A thin crust of toasted white sesame, a chewy glutinous rice shell, and a yellow mung bean filling that is sweet and soft. The method below keeps all three by following one published recipe closely.
In the pot, small bubbles gather around pale, sesame-covered balls, and as they turn in the oil the seeds slowly shift from white to gold. Break one open and the inside is a soft yellow paste of mashed mung beans, held inside a pale, stretchy rice-flour shell. Bánh cam is a southern Vietnamese fried sweet. Hungry Huy describes it as a snack that is sold and enjoyed with tea or coffee.
To make it at home, three things matter most: a mung bean filling mashed smooth and seasoned simply with sugar and oil, a glutinous rice dough that you bring together slowly with water, and oil held at the right temperature so the balls color evenly. This version follows Helen Le's recipe on Helen's Recipes, which makes 10–12 pieces, and leaves out the coconut that recipe lists as optional.
We have not kitchen-tested this recipe. The amounts, the 10–12 piece yield, the resting time and the frying temperature all come from Helen Le's published recipe, and the measurements are kept in that recipe's own units.
For more dishes from the same country, see our Vietnam recipes.
Bánh Cam in the South, Bánh Rán in the North
Bánh cam is the southern name for this sesame-coated fried sweet. Helen Le explains that the same kind of sesame ball is called bánh rán in the north and bánh cam in the south. That does not mean every household or vendor in either region uses one identical recipe; the names line up, but fillings and finishes can differ.
Food Vietnamese, a Vietnamese-language recipe site, presents bánh cam as a southern sweet and explains that it is named for its round shape, which resembles an orange (cam). Treat that as the site's explanation rather than a settled history of the name.
Variation shows up even within the southern style. Hungry Huy notes that whether coconut goes into the mung bean filling depends on the seller. Helen Le's recipe lists shredded young coconut as optional, and this article keeps to the version without it, so the mung bean flavor stays at the center.
Helen Le also describes these sesame balls as a Chinese-influenced sweet. The sources here do not establish when or how that influence arrived, so this article does not go further than her description.
Ingredients (Makes 10–12 Pieces)
The yield is a count of pieces, not servings. Where a weight is given in brackets, it is shown too. Sugar appears twice: 4 tbsp for the filling and a separate 4 tbsp for the dough. Salt goes only into the dough, never into the filling.
Equipment
- Steamer (or a rice cooker, if you use the alternative method for the beans)
- Bowl and a sturdy spoon or masher for the filling
- Mixing bowl for the dough, plus a cloth or lid to cover it
- Shallow bowl for the sesame seeds
- Deep, heavy pot for frying
- Kitchen thermometer to confirm 180°C
- Slotted spoon
- Wire rack or paper for draining
Choosing and Substituting
Mung beans. Look for peeled split mung beans, which are yellow inside, at Asian grocers or online. Whole green mung beans with skins are a different product.
Glutinous rice flour. This is what makes the shell chewy, and it is not interchangeable with ordinary rice flour. Swapping in another flour would no longer be the same recipe.
Mashed potato or potato flakes. This version uses 1/4 cup mashed potato. Helen Le lists potato flakes as an alternative: 2 tbsp flakes plus 4 tbsp hot water in place of the mashed potato. Use one or the other, not both.
Cooking the beans. This version steams the soaked beans. You can also cook them in a rice cooker with 1/2 cup water, or enough to cover the beans. Pick one method; if you steam, do not add that 1/2 cup water to the filling.
Coconut. 1/4 cup shredded young coconut is an optional addition to the filling. It is left out here; see Variations.
This recipe contains sesame. Check the labels of the mung beans, rice flours and any other packaged ingredients for allergen information and shared-facility statements.
Method: Filling, Dough, Wrapping, Sesame and Frying
The beans soak and the dough rests, but there is no fixed frying time. Fry by the color: an even golden brown.
Stay with the pot the whole time the oil is hot. Keep water and wet utensils away from the oil, and lower each ball in gently. Fry only balls whose seams are fully closed and free of cracks.
Fixing Problems: Dough, Filling and Color
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The dough won't come together | Flour absorbs water differently | Keep adding the lukewarm water a little at a time, as the source notes, rather than all at once |
| The filling is hard to wrap | Beans not soft enough or not mashed finely | Make sure the beans are fully soft before mashing, and mash until smooth. Don't add extra ingredients to stiffen it |
| Cracks or gaps after wrapping | Seam not fully closed, or air trapped | Reseal and reshape before coating. Press out air as you close the dough |
| Uneven color | Oil not at temperature, crowded pot, not turned | Confirm 180°C, fry fewer at a time, and turn the balls occasionally |
| Sesame falling off | Seeds not pressed on | Press the sesame on with your hands after rolling. Some natural loss in the oil is normal |
Small differences are normal: the sesame may be patchy in places, the balls may not be perfect spheres, and the cut surface may show a thin gap between filling and shell. What you want to avoid is a ball that has burst open, a hollow with little filling, or raw dough inside.
Variations
- With coconut. Helen Le lists 1/4 cup shredded young coconut as an optional addition to the filling, and Hungry Huy notes that some southern sellers add coconut while others don't. Mix it into the filling with the sugar and oil if you want that version.
- Potato flakes instead of mashed potato. Use the source's alternative: 2 tbsp potato flakes plus 4 tbsp hot water, in place of the 1/4 cup mashed potato.
- A chewier, more shell-forward ball. Wrapping a little less filling in each ball makes the glutinous rice shell more prominent. This changes the balance away from the source recipe's proportions.
- With tea. Serve the hot sesame balls with a cup of tea or coffee, as Hungry Huy describes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are bánh cam and bánh rán the same thing?
Helen Le describes bánh rán as the northern name and bánh cam as the southern name for these sesame balls. Ingredients and finishes can still vary by region and seller, so the names don't guarantee an identical recipe.
Do I need coconut?
No. Helen Le lists coconut as optional, and Hungry Huy notes that even southern sellers differ on whether they use it. This version leaves it out.
Can I use regular rice flour instead of glutinous rice flour?
The source recipe offers no substitute for glutinous rice flour, and it is what gives the shell its chew. Replacing it would change the texture, so it isn't recommended for this recipe.
What oil temperature and frying time should I use?
Heat the oil to 180°C at a depth of about 2 inches, following the source. The source doesn't tie a clear, fixed frying time to this step, so fry until the balls are evenly golden all over, turning them occasionally.
How should I store leftovers?
The source recipe recommends serving bánh cam hot and gives no storage guidance, so we don't give storage times here. It's best to fry only as many as you will eat.
Sources
- Helen Le, "Sesame Balls – Bánh rán / Bánh cam," Helen's Recipes. The recipe followed here: all ingredient amounts, the 10–12 piece yield, the 30-minute dough rest, frying at 180°C in oil about 2 inches deep, the northern and southern names, and the author's description of the sweet as Chinese-influenced. https://helenrecipes.com/recipe-sesame-balls-banh-ran-banh-cam/
- Hungry Huy, "Sesame Balls Recipe (Vietnamese Bánh Cam)." The southern bánh cam, variation in coconut use between sellers, eating it as a snack with tea or coffee, and the advice to avoid air pockets when filling. Its own recipe uses different proportions and is not used here. https://www.hungryhuy.com/banh-cam-banh-ran-recipe-vietnamese-fried-sesame-balls/
- Nhã Linh, "Cách làm Bánh Cam bằng bột nếp với nhân đậu xanh," Food Vietnamese. The Vietnamese name, its presentation as a southern sweet, and the site's explanation that the name comes from the round, orange-like shape. Its recipe is a different method and is not used here. https://foodvietnamese.com/vi/cach-lam-banh-cam/
