Bánh da Lợn

Bánh da lợn (Vietnamese Pandan & Mung Bean Layer Cake)

A chequered southern Vietnamese steamed cake of alternating dark-green pandan and pale-yellow mung bean layers, with a soft, slightly chewy bite. Traditional preparation means spooning each layer one tablespoon at a time and steaming it before adding the next, then chilling until firm enough to slice cleanly.

Prep

60 min

Cook

75 min

Total

135 min

Serves

8 to 10 slices (one 20 cm square pan)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (1 cup) rice flour, plain white rice flour (not glutinous), or null
• •60 g (½ cup) tapioca starch, also sold as tapioca flour, or null
• •80 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) granulated sugar, plus extra for the mung beans, or null
• •fine sea salt, ½
• •400 ml (1¾ cups) full-fat coconut cream, canned, unshaken; the thick cream on top is what you want, or null
• •300 ml (1¼ cups) water, plain, or null
• •100 g (3½ oz) fresh pandan leaves, for the green batter; if unavailable, see note in steps, or null
• •120 g (scant ½ cup) hulled yellow mung beans, split, skinless (đậu xanh cà vỏ), or null
• •60 g (¼ cup) sugar, for sweetening the bean paste, or null
• •1 tbsp neutral oil, for greasing the pan, or null
• •1 piece banana leaf, optional, to line the pan and keep slices wrapped, or null

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the mung beans twice in cold water, then soak in plenty of cold water for at least 2 hours (up to overnight). Drain.
2. 2 Place the soaked mung beans in a small pot, cover with fresh water by about 2 cm, bring to a simmer, and cook gently for 25 to 35 minutes, until the beans are very soft and crumble easily. Add a splash more water if the pot dries out before they soften.
3. 3 Drain the cooked beans well, then mash them with the 60 g sugar and a pinch of salt until you have a thick, smooth, sweet paste. Set aside to cool; it should be spreadable but not runny.
4. 4 Rinse the pandan leaves, cut them into 2 cm pieces, and blend with the 300 ml water for about 30 seconds. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the leaves, to yield a deep green pandan juice. Discard the solids.
5. 5 In a large bowl, whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch, the 80 g sugar, and salt until evenly combined.
6. 6 Pour in the coconut cream and the pandan juice (you will use about 300 ml of pandan juice; top up with a little plain water if your blended juice came up short so the total liquid is 700 ml). Whisk thoroughly for 1 to 2 minutes until completely smooth and lump-free.
7. 7 Strain the green batter through a fine sieve into a jug — this is the secret to a tender, even layer.
8. 8 Take about one third of the green batter (roughly 250 ml) and whisk it into the cooled mung bean paste until smooth and homogenous. Strain this yellow batter into a separate jug.
9. 9 Lightly oil a 20 cm square or round heatproof pan (about 5 cm deep) and line the base with a circle of banana leaf, if using; this makes unmoulding and slicing far easier.
10. 10 Set up a steamer with water at a steady rolling boil. Keep two ladles or small measuring cups at hand — one for green batter, one for yellow batter — and a small bowl of water for dipping the spoon to prevent sticking.
11. 11 Stir each batter briefly before every pour, as the flour settles quickly. Pour about 60 ml (roughly 4 tbsp) of the GREEN batter into the pan, tilt to spread evenly, cover, and steam for 4 to 5 minutes, until the surface looks set and is no longer liquid when you touch it gently.
12. 12 Open the lid, pour 60 ml of the YELLOW mung bean batter over the set green layer, cover, and steam 4 to 5 minutes until set. Repeat, alternating green and yellow, until both batters are used up; the final layer should be green. Each layer only needs a thin, even pour — resist the temptation to use more.
13. 13 For the very last layer, steam for 6 to 8 minutes to make sure the centre is fully cooked through. The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean and the top springs back when pressed.
14. 14 Lift the pan out of the steamer and leave the cake to cool completely at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. This chilling is essential: the layers firm up and the cake becomes sliceable.
15. 15 To unmould, run a thin knife around the edges, invert onto a board, peel off the banana leaf, and flip right-side up. Wipe the knife between each cut and slice with a single firm sawing motion into 3 to 4 cm squares or diamonds.
16. 16 Serve cold or at cool room temperature, traditionally wrapped in small squares of banana leaf. Pairs with strong Vietnamese iced coffee (cà phê sữa đá) or hot trà sen (lotus tea).