Banh Bo Thot Not (An Giang Palmyra Rice Cake), No Added Refined Sugar
Sweets and drinksSteamed CakesVietnamAbout 6 and a half hours, mostly soaking the rice and resting the batter
Banh bo thot not from An Giang comes out golden, scented with banana leaf and palmyra fruit, topped with fresh coconut and toasted sesame. The hard part is patience, since soaking the rice and resting the batter take up almost all of the time.
The rice soaks for about 5 hours before being ground fine, then goes into a cloth bag under a weight until every drop of water is pressed out. Wiping both sides of the banana leaf dry and brushing on a little coconut oil is what lets the cake unwrap in a neat round.
This batch weighs about 1.6kg, at roughly 310 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 1kg rice, soak it in water for about 5 hours until soft, then grind it fine. Put the ground rice in a cloth bag and set a weight on top until all the water has drained out.
Peel 200g ripe palmyra fruit, split it in half and scrape out the flesh.
Stir the palmyra flesh into the drained rice batter. Add 270g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and stir steadily until it has dissolved and blended completely into the batter, keeping it from settling at the bottom of the bowl.
Add 100g grated coconut to the batter and let it rest for 1 hour.
Wash the banana leaves, wipe both sides dry and cut them into pieces about the size of a palm, then fold two corners together. Pour in the batter and brush a little coconut oil on the leaf so the cake unwraps neatly. Fold the two remaining corners over to hold the cake in shape, then scatter the rest of the grated coconut and the toasted sesame on top.
Steam over high heat for about 15 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the cake that comes out clean means it is done.
Tips
A little salt in the batter gives the cake more depth.
The cakes are good warm or at room temperature.
Ripe palmyra fruit is what opens up the honeycomb, while unripe fruit gives a poor rise and a faint aroma.
Pressing the batter completely dry before mixing matters, since wet batter turns the cake dense and slow to rise.
Both sides of the banana leaf need wiping dry before the batter goes in, or the cake sticks to the leaf.
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.