banh cam

This classic sesame studded Vietnamese donut is made from rice flours is a uniquely crunchy and chewy texture. The mung bean and coconut filling adds just enough sweetness but not too much.

Banh Cam / Banh Ran Recipe

oz split peeled mung beans

sugar

water

coconut

oz glutinous rice flour

rice flour

tbs baking powder

mash potato flakes

sesame (untoasted)

Soak mung beans overnight or at least 1 hr in warm water. Steam until soften and easily smashed with your finger tips, roughly 20 minutes (or longer if not soaked overnight).  In meantime, dissolve sugar in warm water.  When mung bean has cooled, transfer to mixing bowl and coarsely mash. Add the sugar water mixture and coconut and mix well.  The texture should be like mashed potatoes. Allow to cool and form small quarter size balls of mung bean. Refrigerate covered.

Mung bean filling

Add sugar in 2 1/2 cup of warm water and stir to dissolve. In large mixing bowl, add sugar mixture and the potato flakes and stir to combine. Then add the baking powder and stir to dissolve. Finally add the two types of rice flour and mix together to form a big ball of dough.  There is no need to knead the dough. The dough should be a wet play-dough consistency.  Add a few tablespoons at a time of the extra 1/4 cup of water to the dough and mix well if it&#039;s too dry or gets to dry when working.

Dough

Pinch off a golf ball sized piece of dough and form into a ball. Flatten to a disk with palm of your hands and thin out the edges to form a pancake. If the dough cracks at the edges, it&#039;s too dry. Add a few tablespoons at a time of the 1/4 cup of water to the dough and mix well.  Place the filling in the center and fold dough edges together and seal seams by rolling in the palm your hands.

Roll in a bowl of sesame seeds to cover completely. Roll in the palm of your hands to make sure the sesame seeds stick. Cover loosely at room temperature until ready to fry.

Assembly

In a small dutch oven filled about 1/3rd way with oil, heat to 325 degrees. Add multiple banh cam to nearly cover the pot and occasionally turn the banh cam for even frying. When golden brown, remove and drain and enjoy while warm.

Learn how to make Bánh cam at home! This traditional Vietnamese treat consists of sweet mung bean paste balls wrapped in glutinous rice flour wrappers and coated with sesame seeds before being deep fried to perfection. It&#39;s crispy, chewy, and so addicting. A must-try!

Banh Cam (Vietnamese Sesame Balls)

105 g split yellow mung beans

g sugar

g unsweetened shredded coconut

ml oil

tsp vanilla extract

salt

g white rice flour

tsp baking powder

45 g raw sesame seeds

oil (for frying)

Soak the mung beans. Start by soaking the yellow mung beans in water for 4-6 hours. This will allow them to soften and shorten the cooking time.

Cook them. After soaking, drain and rinse the beans a couple of times. Transfer them to a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 12-15 minutes or until the mung beans are soft. Keep cooking until no more water remains and the beans start turning into a purée.

Process the paste. Transfer the cooked beans to a food processor or small blender. Add the sugar, shredded coconut, oil, vanilla extract, and salt. Process the mung bean paste for 20-30 seconds or until smooth. Be aware that the paste will be very thick and sticky. It’s normal.

Dehydrate. Transfer the mung bean paste to a large saucepan and heat over low-medium heat. Keep stirring the paste using a spatula for 3-5 minutes or until smooth. The paste should still be soft but not sticky anymore.

Let it cool. Transfer the mung bean paste to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, touching the top, to prevent the paste from forming a crust. Let it cool for at least 1 hour.

Shape into balls. Once the paste is not hot anymore, scoop out balls of about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons. I recommend using a medium cookie scoop to speed up the process. Use your hands to shape them into round balls. Transfer to a plate and cover with plastic wrap.

Chill. Finally, let the mung bean paste balls chill for at least 6 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Combine the dry ingredients. Add the glutinous rice flour, sugar, rice flour, baking powder, and salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.

Add the water and knead. Add the water and oil and knead using your hands until it forms a slightly firm dough. The dough should hold together when you press it between your fingers. Let the dough rest covered for 30 minutes (this will allow the flour to absorb the moisture).

Flatten a ball of dough. Scoop out 1.5 tablespoons of the rice flour dough and roll it into a ball. Next, use your hands to shape it into a 2.5-inch (6cm) circle. Slightly press the edges to make them a bit thinner than the center.Place a ball of mung bean paste on top. Take a mung bean paste ball and place it in the center of the wrapper.

Wrap it tightly with the wrapper. Carefully wrap the wrapper tightly around the mung bean paste ball, trying not to let any air hole inside. Press to seal.

Roll it between your hands. Roll the ball between the palms of your hands. This will help the wrapper to get an even thickness.

Dip in sesame seeds. Transfer the raw sesame seeds to a small bowl. Dip the ball into the sesame seeds and toss to coat. Slightly press the sesame seeds onto the ball to make them stick. Transfer the sesame-coated ball to a plate.Repeat with the remaining filling. Repeat with the remaining mung bean balls and dough. You should end up with about 12 balls.

Assemble

Heat the oil. Heat 3 cups of frying oil in a deep saucepan. Let the oil heat for at least 5 minutes. You can test if the oil is hot enough by dipping a wooden chopsticks into it. If you see a lot of small bubbles forming around the chopstick, the oil is hot enough.

Fry the sesame balls. Carefully transfer 4-5 balls to the oil and stir using a wooden spoon or chopsticks to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Keep frying, stirring constantly, until the balls are golden brown. This step will take 5-7 minutes, so be patient.

Transfer to kitchen paper towels. Using a slotted spoon, remove the banh cam from the oil and transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil.

Enjoy! Let the banh cam cool for at least 25 minutes before enjoying it!

Hi Thomas, these look DELICIOUS.  

Do you think you could fry these in an air fryer instead of deep frying? Or would that be sacrilegious...

Thanks

Looks amazing. I must try this recipe for my family. Thank you for sharing.

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Top 2 banh cam recipes from across the web

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Banh Cam / Banh Ran Recipe

Banh Cam (Vietnamese Sesame Balls)

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