Saturday, May 10, 2008

Husband and wife cake (Bánh Xu Xê, Bánh Phu Thê)


INGREDIENTS:
* For the filling:
- 1cup mungbean
- 2tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup grated coconut
- 1/2 cup sugar ( or adjustable)

* For the cover:
- cling wrap/glad wrap (10x10")
- 1cup tapioca starch
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2tbsp oil
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 5-6 drops pandan paste(or yellow, or red colors)
- some seasame seeds for decoration

PREPARATION:
*For the filling:
- Soak mungbean for 1 hour, then steam or cook until mash-able
- Add in grated coconut, vanilla, and sugar and mix together
- Roll mungbean mixture into small ballsImage and video hosting by TinyPic

*For the cover:
- Mix everthing together and rest for 15'Image and video hosting by TinyPic
- Stir constantly the mixture over medium heat until it gets thickenImage and video hosting by TinyPic
- Leave to cool
- Place a 10x10" cling wrap, speading some seasame seed in the center.
- Scoop out a reasonable amount of tapioca mixture,placing over the seasame seed

Image and video hosting by TinyPic
- Putting the mungbean ball in the middle
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
- Cover the ball with another half tapioca
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
- Seal the cake by twisting the edge of the cling wrap togetherImage and video hosting by TinyPic
- Steam the cake for approx. 15 minutes or until it just turns clear.Don't oversteam it because it's not chewy anymore.
Before steaming
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
After steaming
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

- Leave to completely cool and enjoy =)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

i just came across your blog and knew i had to make banh phu the. the only problem is that mine didn't get as firm/chewy as the ones you get at the vietnamese stores/deli's. i've tried this recipe 2 times already, with the second batch coming out more firm but not as much as store bought one. did yours come out just as chewy as the ones you can buy?

0 said...

Hello Thy,

I have been looking for years for the recipe of Bahn xu xê and thanks to you to have post the recipe on your blog. So I have tried the first part of the recipe (with the mung beans) but after adding the coconut and the sugar my mixture is a little too liquid regarding to yours and I cannot make balls like the one on the pics. Do you have an advise for me ?

♥ESTEE♥ said...

Hi 0,
I usually steam my mung bean over the electric hot steamer so there is no dropping water onto the mung bean which is the reason for your problem.Next time, try adding sugar while you are steaming the mung bean,as well as wiping off the cover of the steamer sometimes and let me know =)

♥ESTEE♥ said...

I guess they put some "secret substances" into the cake so it can stay fresh and chewy as long as possible.Usually,tapioca is very sensitive to the outside temperature.You can notice that it can get dry and hard easily in short period.I went across several home-made recipes and they calls for the same ingredients.This recipe is the best I can try so far.Hope this helps =)

ngoci ‹3 said...

Hi :D
i want to make this one but i can't find this tapioca starch anywhere >.<
can you please tell me what's this in vietnamese maybe it will be easier to find. :)

♥ESTEE♥ said...

o mien nam thi goi la "bot nang" con o mien bac thi hinh nhu goi la "bot dao" thi phai

Jackie McCarthy said...

I would like to know if Ican find these recipes without the pictures. I want to print them but do not want the color pictures.