Banh Goi

Bánh Gối (Vietnamese Pillow Dumplings)

A crisp, blistered wheat-flour pastry pillow stuffed with seasoned minced pork, glass noodles and wood ear mushroom, deep-fried until golden and served with a sweet-sour fish sauce dip.

Prep

45 min

Cook

30 min

Total

75 min

Serves

4 (about 16 pieces)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• •40 g (1½ oz) tapioca starch, or cornstarch; gives the shell its characteristic blistering
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine salt
• •180 ml (¾ cup) warm water, about 40°C / 105°F
• •10 g (2 tsp) vegetable oil, neutral oil for the dough
• •250 g (9 oz) minced pork, shoulder or belly, about 20% fat
• •30 g (1 oz (dry)) glass noodles (bean thread), about 1 handful dry
• •10 g (3–4 whole) dried wood ear mushrooms, or 50 g / 1¾ oz fresh
• •40 g (3 tbsp) shallot, finely chopped (about 2 medium)
• •3 cloves garlic, minced
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) fish sauce, nước mắm
• •5 g (1 tsp) sugar
• •2 g (½ tsp) ground black pepper
• •8 whole quail eggs, optional, peeled; substitute 2 chicken eggs if unavailable
• •1 pinch ground turmeric, optional, for a golden shell
• •1 L (1 qt) neutral frying oil, peanut, canola or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• •60 ml (¼ cup) fish sauce, for the dipping sauce
• •60 ml (¼ cup) water, for the dipping sauce
• •45 g (3 tbsp) sugar, for the dipping sauce
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) lime juice, or rice vinegar, for the dipping sauce
• •1 clove garlic, finely minced, for the dipping sauce
• •1 whole bird's eye chilli, sliced, for the dipping sauce
• •1 tbsp pickled carrot, julienned, optional, for the dipping sauce

Steps

1. 1 Soak the glass noodles in warm water for 10 minutes until pliable, then drain and snip into roughly 1 cm (½ inch) pieces with scissors.
2. 2 Soak the dried wood ear mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes until soft. Drain, squeeze out excess water, trim off any hard knobbly base, and finely chop.
3. 3 If using quail eggs, bring a small pan of water to a boil, add the eggs and boil for 2½–3 minutes. Transfer to iced water, peel, and set aside. The eggs must be fully cooked before frying.
4. 4 Make the dough: in a bowl, mix the flour, tapioca starch, salt and optional turmeric. Add the warm water and oil, then stir and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth, elastic and no longer sticky. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
5. 5 Make the filling: in a bowl, combine the minced pork, chopped shallot, minced garlic, 15 ml (1 tbsp) fish sauce, sugar and black pepper. Mix in one direction for 2 minutes until tacky. Fold in the snipped glass noodles and chopped wood ear. Cover and rest 15 minutes so the noodles absorb the juices.
6. 6 Make the dipping sauce: stir the 60 ml (¼ cup) fish sauce, water, 45 g (3 tbsp) sugar and lime juice together until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the minced garlic, sliced chilli and pickled carrot. Taste - it should be sweet-sour-salty with a chilli kick. Set aside.
7. 7 Divide the rested dough into 16 equal pieces (about 30 g / 1 oz each). Keep unused pieces covered so they don't dry out.
8. 8 On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into an oval about 12 cm long × 9 cm wide (4½ × 3½ inches) and 2 mm thick - thin enough to see light through.
9. 9 Place about 1 heaped tablespoon of filling on one half of the oval, leaving a 1 cm (½ inch) border. If using, press a peeled quail egg into the centre of the filling.
10. 10 Fold the empty half over to form a half-moon. Press the rim firmly to seal, then pleat and crimp the edge with your fingers (or press with a fork) so it is completely closed - any gap will let oil in and filling out.
11. 11 Heat the frying oil in a deep pan or wok to 170°C (340°F). Use a thermometer; if you don't have one, a scrap of dough should bubble steadily and rise slowly, not instantly.
12. 12 Fry 4–5 dumplings at a time, turning occasionally, for 5–6 minutes. They are done when the shell is deep golden brown, blistered and crisp, and the internal temperature of the pork filling reaches at least 71°C (160°F).
13. 13 Drain on a wire rack (not paper, which steams the base soft). Repeat with the remaining dumplings, letting the oil return to 170°C (340°F) between batches.
14. 14 Rest 2 minutes before serving - the filling is molten hot. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce on the side.