Banh Da Lon (Vietnamese Steamed Cakes)
Banh Da Lon is a Vietnamese steamed layered cake that is infused with pandan leaves, coconut milk, and mung beans! It is soft, chewy, and so addicting!
Equipment
Ingredients
Yellow Layer
- 1/4 cup dried split mung beans soaked for 3-4 hours
- 1/2 cup water to cook the beans
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp tapioca starch
- 2 tbsp white rice flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Green Layer
- 2 pandan leaves
- 1/2 cup water
- 6 tbsp full-fat coconut milk
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 3/4 cup + 3 tbsp tapioca starch
- 3 tbsp white rice flour
- 1/4 tsp pandan extract optional
Instructions
Yellow Layer
- Cook the beans: Drain the mung beans and transfer them to a small saucepan. Add the water and bring to a simmer over low-medium heat. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, covered, until the beans are completely soft. Note: feel free to add a bit more water if no water remains and the beans are still firm.
- Combine: Drain and transfer the cooked beans to a high-speed blender. Add the coconut milk, water, sugar, tapioca starch, rice flour, and vanilla extract. Blend for 10-15 seconds or until smooth. Transfer the batter to a bowl and set aside.
Green Layer
- Prepare the pandan juice: Roughly chop the pandan leaves and add them to a blender. Add the water and blend on high-speed for about 30 seconds.
- Strain the juice using a fine-mesh sieve and discard the pulp, only keeping the liquid. Note: the juice will smell very grassy. It is normal, the flavor will change after cooking.Transfer the juice to a large mixing bowl.
- Combine: To the mixing bowl, add the coconut milk, sugar, tapioca starch, rice flour, and pandan extract if using. Whisk until fully combined. Set aside.
Steam
- Prepare your setup: Fill a saucepan with 2-3 cups of water and place a bamboo steamer on top. Bring the water to a boil. Lightly grease a 3x6-inch pan (you will have enough batter for two pans) with oil and place it in the steamer for 2 minutes.
- Steam the first layer: Pour one layer of the green batter into the pan and steam for 3 minutes. I went with 3 tablespoons of the batter to get thin layers. Adjust depending on the size of your pan.
- Steam the second layer: Pour the same amount of the yellow layer over the green layer. Steam for 4 minutes.
- Repeat. Repeat the process until you have about 7 layers (you can do more). For each layer, increase the steaming time by one minute.
- Finally, after steaming the last layer, let the whole cake steam for an extra 7 minutes.
- Let cool: Remove the pan from the steamer and let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan.
- Slice: Using a sharp knife with the blade wrapped in plastic wrap (to prevent sticking), cut each loaf into 5 rectangles. Enjoy as a snack!
Notes
- Check the water level. Since steaming will take a total of 45-55 minutes, a lot of water will evaporate. Make sure to check the water level occasionally and add more if needed.
- Be careful not to burn yourself. There will be a lot of steam escaping the steamer basket when you open it to pour a new layer, so be careful when doing so.
- Store at room temperature. Avoid storing Banh Da Lon in the refrigerator as it tends to dry and get harder.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 piece | Calories: 156 kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.3 g | Protein: 1.8 g | Fat: 2.5 g | Saturated Fat: 2.4 g | Sodium: 3 mg | Potassium: 2 mg | Fiber: 1.4 g | Sugar: 11.6 g | Calcium: 5 mg | Iron: 1 mg