Banh Bi Do (Fried Pumpkin Glutinous Rice Cakes), No Added Refined Sugar

Method

1. Peel and wash the pumpkin, cut it into thin even pieces and steam it over high heat for about 10 minutes.
2. While the pumpkin is still hot, tip it into a bowl and mash it completely smooth.
3. Add 45g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 4 tablespoons of the mixture of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and unsweetened oat milk at 47 parts to 53 parts to the mashed pumpkin, and stir until everything dissolves.
4. Add 400g glutinous rice flour gradually, mixing as you go, and knead until the dough is smooth, soft and no longer sticks to your hands. Cover with a cloth and rest for 15 minutes.
5. Shape the dough into rounds or flat discs as you prefer, then roll each one in the 20g white sesame seeds until the surface is covered.
6. Set a nonstick pan over medium heat with 4 tablespoons cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, cook the cakes for 3 to 5 minutes a side until evenly golden, then lift them onto paper towels.

Tips

• Dip a chopstick into the oil, and small bubbles around the tip mean it is hot enough.
• Look for pumpkin with bright orange skin, taut and glossy, with a fresh stem.
• Mash the pumpkin while it is hot, since cooled pumpkin stays lumpy.
• The oat milk mixture is loose, so a 15 minute rest lets the dough take up enough moisture.
• Let the steamed pumpkin give off its steam before mashing, because wet pumpkin calls for extra flour and the cakes turn tough.