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Sekai Gohan
Bánh Cốm: Hanoi's Square Young-Rice Cake with Mung Bean Filling (Hàng Than Style)
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Dried cốm, young glutinous-rice flakes (cốm khô) | 7 oz (200 g) | The green, chewy shell. Use the dried form for this measured version |
| Peeled split mung beans (đậu xanh đã bóc vỏ) | 3.5 oz (100 g) | The filling. Soaked, steamed until fully tender, then mashed |
| White granulated sugar (đường cát trắng) | 3.5 oz (100 g) | Sweetness for both the shell and the filling combined |
| Shredded coconut (dừa nạo sợi) | 1.75 oz (50 g) | Cooked into the mung bean filling |
| Pomelo blossom water (nước hoa bưởi) | 1 tsp | Fragrance, added to the cooked shell near the end |
| Pandan leaf (lá dứa), optional | As needed | Optional aroma and color. Left out in this version |
Steps
1Soften the dried cốm
If the dried flakes look dusty, sift or rinse them briefly. Put the 7 oz (200 g) of dried cốm in a shallow bowl of clean water and let it soak for 10–15 minutes. Don't leave it submerged much longer than that.
The flakes are ready when they have softened but each one is still identifiable. Drain them well in a sieve. Water clinging to the surface makes the shell harder to control later.
2Steam the mung beans and cook the filling
Soak the 3.5 oz (100 g) of peeled split mung beans until plump. Drain, then steam until completely tender all the way through.
Mash the steamed beans until smooth and thick.
Mash the beans on their own first, before adding anything else Move the mashed beans to a nonstick pan with the 1.75 oz (50 g) of shredded coconut and part of the sugar. Cook over gentle heat, stirring, until the paste is cohesive enough to hold a mound. Divide the 3.5 oz (100 g) of sugar to your own taste, keeping the rest for the shell, and judge by the texture rather than the clock.
The filling is ready when the spatula leaves a track in a paste that holds together Let the filling cool, then shape it into compact pieces, small bars or balls, ready to wrap.
3Cook the green shell
In a pan, bring a little water and the remaining sugar to a boil so the sugar dissolves. Add the drained cốm and stir over low heat until the flakes turn into a sticky, cohesive mass that can be spread. Keep the heat low and keep stirring so the shell neither scorches nor cooks too far. Some individual flake texture can remain.
Once the shell is cohesive, add the 1 tsp of food-grade pomelo blossom water near the end and work it in.
Add the blossom water to the shell once it has come together 4Wrap the filling and press it square
Lay out a sheet of plain food wrap; no oil is needed. Spread a thin layer of the warm shell on it, set a piece of cooled filling in the center, then cover it with more shell, folding it over so the filling is enclosed.
Close the wrap around the cake and press it gently into a flat square. Slightly uneven, handmade edges are natural, and a little shine through the clear wrap is just the film. Repeat with the remaining shell and filling.
Press through the wrap to flatten the cake into a square 5Cool and wrap each cake
Let the cakes set until they are cool enough to handle, then wrap each one individually in clear wrap or paper. Both the home recipe and the Hanoi portal describe bánh cốm as individually wrapped square cakes.