How to Make Delicious, Soft, and Smooth Ba Lai Cake, a Specialty of Phan Thiet

How to make Bánh Bà Lai

• 1

  Cook the mung beans

  Soak the mung beans in warm water for about 30 minutes until they soften, then rinse and drain.

  Next, place the beans in a steamer and steam until the beans are soft, then turn off the heat.

  
• 2

  Mix the eggs and milk

  Separate 3 chicken eggs into a large bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and use a whisk to beat the mixture until smooth.

  Next, gradually add 500ml of warm coconut milk while stirring continuously, then add 130g of sugar and 100g of condensed milk, and mix well until the mixture is combined.

  Warming the coconut milk helps to reduce the fishy smell of the eggs in the batter mixture. Note that you should only warm the coconut milk to a light warmth; if it gets too hot, it will cook the eggs and make them clumpy, resulting in a less tasty cake.

  

  
• 3

  Mix the flour

  Sift 100g of rice flour, 70g of tapioca flour, and 70g of wheat flour into the egg mixture until smooth.

  Use a whisk to gently mix in one direction until the mixture is uniform.

  
• 4

  Dividing the batter

  Divide the mixed batter above into 3 equal parts (about 320ml each).

  Dissolve 2g of cocoa powder completely in 60ml of water in a bowl, stirring well to combine the mixture evenly.

  Similarly, dissolve 60ml of pandan leaf extract into a bowl of batter.

  In the remaining bowl, add the peeled and steamed mung beans, then blend them until smooth in a blender.

  If you want a smooth and delicious cake, remember to blend the mixture until very fine. You can strain it again to achieve the smoothest batter possible.

  

  
• 5

  Steaming the cake

  Prepare a pot of boiling water to steam the cake.

  First, pour the cocoa mixture into the mold to create the cake base. Pour the mixture into a round mold and place it in the steamer.

  Cover it with a cloth to prevent water from dripping onto the cake, cover the lid, and steam the cake for about 10 minutes.

  When the cake is cooked, use a wooden skewer to lightly score several lines on the surface of the cake to create adhesion, preventing the layers from separating when pouring the second layer of batter on top.

  Next, pour the mung bean batter into the mold in the pot, continue to cover it with a cloth and steam for another 15 minutes. Use the skewer to lightly score lines on the surface of the cake so that it adheres to the final layer.

  Similar to the previous batter layers, pour the pandan batter into the pot and steam for 15 minutes until completely cooked.

  

  

  

  
• 6

  Final Product

  Steamed Banh Ba Lai, when cooled slightly, is ready to be enjoyed. If you prefer it cold, you can place the cake in the refrigerator for about 30 – 45 minutes, and it will taste even better. Banh Ba Lai is sweet, aromatic, creamy, and soft with three distinctive flavors of pandan leaves, mung beans, and a hint of cocoa that is truly delightful, isn’t it?