Bánh Cam / Bánh Rán Recipe (Vietnamese Fried Sesame Balls Dessert)

By stancec44

Although they look very similar, there are differences between bánh cam from the South and bánh ran from the North. Both styles can be found throughout the country though. My parents recount the differences in these fried desserts back home:

North Vietnam – Bánh Rán
Northerners call it bánh ran, or “fried cake”. These are made with a Jasmine flower essence for a nice aroma. A sugary drizzle on these fried goodies can be found on them depending on the vendor. Another difference in the north is that when they are covered in sugar, the dough is made only with sweet rice flour and no rice flour, sesame seeds, or potatoes.

South Vietnam – Bánh Cam
In this post, I make it in the Southern style. There is no essence of flower added to this. The most popular flavor added to the mung bean filling is with drops of vanilla extract. Only in the South will you find freshly shredded coconut in the filling too, but that will vary by vendor. If you add coconut to your recipe, do yourself a favor and use only freshly grated coconut!

In China?
The Chinese version of this looks very similar. I see these most of the time on dim sum carts. The filling is usually a paste of black or red bean, taro, or lotus seed. Since there’s enough water to make the filling a paste, it’s found sticking to one section of the inside.

Cook’s Notes
It took a lot of recipe tinkering with mom to get to this recipe. The adjustments were made to get a better crisp in the shell, and to develop a deeper brown color. The amounts of sugar are made so it’s not too sweet. Adjusting sugar for the filling is easy, but it may change the texture and color if you adjust too much for the outer dough. I tried the mung bean filling with vanilla too, but prefer it without.

Before rolling and frying, the dough keeps in the fridge for a few days just fine. If you don’t eat too many of these at a time, it’s better to fry up fresh batches. After you fry these sesame balls, they do keep okay for a day or two. To reheat them, pop ‘em in a toaster oven, or re-fry them in oil.

Ingredients

• Outer Shell (Vỏ)
• 4 oz sweet (glutinous) rice flour
• 0.75 oz rice flour
• 0.75 oz all-purpose wheat flour
• 5 TBS potato flakes
• 1.6 oz sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water (plus ~2 TBS + 2 tsp later to reach desired consistency)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• Filling (Nhân)
• 4 oz steamed mung bean + water added to desired consistency
• 0.75 oz sugar (This equals 1 TBS + 1 tsp)
• 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
• A dash of vanilla extract (optional--I don't think it needs it)
• Cooking Oil
• A neutral cooking oil for frying

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from hungryhuy.com

Preparation

Step 1

Outer Shell (Vỏ)
Mix ½ of the water in a big bowl. Add sugar, salt and mix to dissolve.
Add remaining ingredients and mix (you can use a food processor if you want).
The dough should be slightly dry and have a play-dough consistency. Rest 2-8 hours. It will be slightly rise and hydrate after resting, making it easier to work with.

Filling (Nhân)
It's best to steam this if you can. You can also make it in a rice cooker with slightly more water than you would use to make rice, but you will lose some sticking to the pot.
Mash after it's cooked and add water to desired consistency. The goal is to have a paste similar to thick, slightly dry mashed potatoes.

Forming The Bánh Cam
Flatten out a disk of the dough and add a ball of mung bean filling. The dough to filling ratio is up to you! I like about 1" in diameter, but you can make them bigger. Keep in mind they will slightly expand during cooking.
Try not to leave any air pockets inside, since the dough will already be expanding and adding air to the center. Close off the ball so there aren't any cracks.
Slightly roll in your hands to make a ball shape and then roll in a bowl of sesame seeds to coat thoroughly. Set aside for frying.

Frying
Deep fry the bánh cam at around 285F. It should take about 11 minutes per batch. You may need to stir them a bit for an even fry.