Banh Bi Do (Fried Pumpkin Sesame Cakes), No Added Refined Sugar
Sweets and drinksFried CakesVietnam25 minutes to prepare, 10 minutes to make
Fried pumpkin sesame cakes come out deep gold, coated in fragrant sesame, chewy inside with a gentle pumpkin sweetness. Glutinous rice flour kneaded with steamed mashed pumpkin needs very little water. The hardest part is dough that is too wet, which spreads out and soaks up oil in the pan.
Steamed pumpkin should give off some steam before the flour goes in, and slack dough takes a little more glutinous rice flour at a time. Medium heat cooks the cakes to the center without burning the crust.
This batch weighs about 1.1kg, at roughly 188 calories per 100g.
Method
Peel 500g pumpkin and cut it into small pieces.
Steam the pumpkin until soft, tip it into a bowl and mash it smooth.
Mix 5 tablespoons of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend with unsweetened oat milk at 47 parts blend to 53 parts oat milk. Add this mixture and 45g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend to the mashed pumpkin and stir well. Work in 350g glutinous rice flour, knead by hand until the dough is smooth, then rest it 15 minutes.
Roll the dough into bite sized balls, flatten each one into a cake shape, then coat them in 50g black sesame or 50g white sesame seeds.
Set a pan over the heat, warm the oil, then fry the cakes over medium heat until golden on both sides and lift them onto paper towels.
Tips
Pumpkin that feels heavy and firm, with smooth skin, deep orange color and no soft spots, is the one to choose.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so stir it into the pumpkin while it is still hot, before the glutinous rice flour goes in.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend does not brown on its own, so deep color comes from nuoc mau (caramel sauce) or reduced fresh coconut water.
Steamed pumpkin left to give off steam before kneading keeps the dough firm, since slack dough spreads out and soaks up oil.
Cakes pressed to about 1cm thick cook through, while thicker ones stay raw in the center once the crust has darkened.
A light press after coating sets the sesame in place, otherwise the seeds fall off into the oil and burn.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.