Bánh da Lợn

Bánh da lợn is the chequered pandan-and-mung-bean cake of southern Vietnam, sold by the slice from bakery carts and tea stalls across Saigon, Cần Thơ, and Mỹ Tho. Its name translates literally as "pig-skin cake", referring to the dark green and pale yellow layers, which resemble the markings on the skin of a black pig.

The cake is built from two alternating batters. The green layer is made from rice flour, tapioca starch, and pandan leaf juice, sweetened with coconut cream and sugar; the pale layer is a similar batter enriched with cooked, sweetened yellow mung-bean paste. The two batters are spooned, a tablespoon at a time, into a square or rectangular pan, steamed in sequence so each layer sets before the next is added, and finally chilled for several hours until firm enough to slice.

Bánh da lợn is the everyday sweet of southern Vietnamese tiệm bánh and is sold in slices wrapped in banana leaf at markets such as Bến Thành in Saigon, Cái Răng in Cần Thơ, and the floating markets of Cái Bè and Cái Răng. It is paired with a small cup of strong Vietnamese iced coffee or with hot trà sen (lotus tea), and is a defining sweet of any Tết table in the Mekong Delta.