Pandan Rice Cake – Banh Duc La Dua (Recipe)

Pandan rice cakes are jelly-like soft cakes which originate from Southwestern Vietnam. These bright green and white marble cakes drizzled with sugar and pandan syrup are perfect for snack or dessert. Pandan is a tropical plant whose leaves are widely used in South and Southeast Asian cuisine as an aromatic or flavoring.

Ingredients:

Green Paste:

• 4 to 6 pandan leaves, finely chopped
• 2 ½ cups of water
• ¼ cup of rice flour
• ¼ cup of tapioca starch
• 2 tbsp mung bean starch
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pandan extract optional

White Paste:

• 2 ½ cups of water
• ¼ cup of rice flour
• ¼ cup of tapioca starch
• 2 tbsp mung bean starch
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vegetable oil

Sugar Syrup:

• 6 tbsp brown sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ¼ cup of water
• 1 tsp tapioca/mung bean starch

Coconut Sauce:

• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 2 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
• 2 tsp mung bean starch
• 2 tbsp water

Instructions:

This recipe takes about 45 to 50 minutes to make. The rice cake needs to set for a few hours. Serves 8 to 10.

To make the green pandan paste, put chopped pandan leaves and water in a blender and blend for 1 to 2 minutes.
Stain to get 2 1/2 cups of liquid.
In a microwave-safe bowl, mix together rice flour, tapioca starch, mung bean starch, sugar, salt, and pandan extract.
Microwave for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.
Whisk batter until you get a smooth paste.
Set this aside.
To make the white paste, stir together water, rice flour, tapioca starch, mung bean starch, sugar, and vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.
Whisk batter until you get a smooth paste.
Lightly grease mold.
Pour green paste and white paste into the mold alternately.
Using a spatula or a bamboo skewer, draw swirls into the better to create a marble effect.
Smoothen the surface using a spatula.
Steam rice cake for 20 minutes.
In a saucepan, dissolve brown sugar and salt in 3 tbsp of water and bring to boil over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
Dissolve mung bean starch in 3 tbsp of water in a small bowl.
Pour into the saucepan and stir to thicken.
Cook until the syrup turns translucent.
Turn off heat and transfer syrup to a bowl.
In a saucepan, put all the ingredients for the coconut sauce coconut milk, sugar, salt, pandan leaves, and mung bean starch dissolved in water.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick.
Turn off heat and transfer to a bowl.
Let the rice cake cool completely before unmolding. You may let it chill in the fridge for a few hours until firm enough.
Unmold the rice cake and cut into squares using a serrated knife.
Place the sliced rice cakes on a plate.
Drizzle sugar and coconut syrup and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.

Ideas And Tips:

• If you do not have a microwave, you can also cook the green and white paste on the stove. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir continuously over medium heat until you get a thick paste.

Pandan Rice Cake - Banh Duc La Dua (Recipe)
images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIYKAajhTBw

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