Tra Vinh Networks

Banh Ong is “pipe” pandan rice cake, is made from ground rice, palm sugar, pandan leaves and grated coconut, steamed in bamboo pipes. The cake is light, fluffy, aromatic, and flavorful.

Banh Ong rooted from Khmer people in Tra Vinh and Mekong Delta, is sold at farmer markets by street vendors. Watching the street vendor making the rice cake from bamboo pipe pot like watching a magic show. From the steam pot, the delicious aroma of the rice cake (combined of pandan leaves, coconut, and palm sugar) is so appetizing and unforgettable.

Similarly, Putu Mayam (or Putu Piring, Kueh Tutu) is rice cake in Malaysia and Singapore. “Putu bamboo” is an and Malay rice cake originating from the Tamil putt. Kueh Tutu (嘟嘟糕) is a traditional Singaporean rice cake.

Ingredients:

• Batter: coarsely ground rice, grated coconut, pandan leaves, palm sugar
• Top: sugar, shredded coconut, roasted sesame seeds and salt.
• It is served warm with extra shredded coconut, sugar, roasted sesame seeds.

Banh Ong’s Story. When I was young, whenever my grand-aunt visited our family, she brought us her home-made delicious giant Banh Ong (same size as Banh Tet rice cake). The cake texture, flavor and fragrance made the cake was so appetizing and unforgettable. The rice cake was made with ground rice, shredded sweet potatoes (my grand-aunt’s secret ingredient), grated coconut and palm sugar. This rice cake still tasted good when it was cold.

Recipes

These recipes can make at home with steamer. The key ingredient is “ground rice,” so make your own ground rice with the “strong” blender. The frozen ground rice is available at Korean supermarkets in the US.

• Steamed Snow Rice Cake - by Amanda Taste, YouTube video in Chinese with English subtitles. Good instructions. She showed how to make ground rice, batter, and steam the cakes in the muffin pan. We can use this recipe and add pandan flavor and grated coconut.
• Recipe of kueh tutu -
• Rainbow rice cake - by maangchi.com. This special occasion Korean rice cake (Mujigae-tteok ) has similar texture as “Banh Ong.” I prefer this recipe. I used the recipe, modified it and added coconut and palm sugar. See below picture of the beautiful Korean rice cake.

Cooking Tips

• Good cake is fluffy. Therefore, we should create “air” gaps by gently mixing the batter.

Pictures and videos of making Banh Ong with bamboo pipe pot in Vietnam.

Below is the picture of Korean Rainbow Rice Cake from maangchi.com

Videos in Vietnamese

• Making Banh Ong Pandan Rice Cake in Vietnam, in Vietnamese

Reference

1. Recipe of kueh tutu - use steamer
2. Rainbow rice cake - recipe by maangchi.com. This special occasion Korean rice cake (Mujigae-tteok ) has similar texture as “Banh Ong.” I used this recipe before, and added coconut and palm sugar. The frozen ground rice is available at Korean supermarkets in the US. See below picture of the beautiful Korean rice cake
3. Rainbow rice cake - YouTube video by maangchi.com
4. http://ile-maurice.tripod.com/poutou.htm - recipe
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUif5pjSCJ8 - 80 years old kueh tutu shop
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kue_putu -Kue Putu