BÁNH DA LỢN (VIETNAMESE STEAMED LAYER CAKE) Recipe

 Bánh Da Lợn, which translates to “pig skin cake” in Vietnamese, is a soft, chewy, and fragrant steamed dessert made from layers of tapioca flour, rice flour, coconut milk, and pandan or mung bean paste. Despite its name, it contains no pork—the name refers to its bouncy, elastic texture, similar to pig skin. This dessert is a favorite at Vietnamese celebrations, tea times, and street markets, admired for its vibrant colors and satisfying chew.

Preparation Time
1 hour 20 minutes (including steaming time)

Serving Size
Serves 6–8

Ingredients

Green Pandan Batter:

• 1 cup tapioca flour

• ¼ cup rice flour

• 1 cup coconut milk

• ¾ cup sugar

• 1 cup pandan juice (blend pandan leaves with water and strain, or use 1 teaspoon pandan extract with water)

• Pinch of salt

Yellow Mung Bean Batter:

• 1 cup mung beans (peeled and split, soaked for 2 hours)

• 1 cup coconut milk

• ¾ cup sugar

• 1 cup tapioca flour

• ¼ cup rice flour

• Pinch of salt

Detailed Recipe

Step 1: Cook the Mung Beans
Drain the soaked mung beans and steam or boil them until soft. Mash into a smooth paste. In a saucepan, combine mung bean paste, coconut milk, sugar, and salt over low heat, stirring until creamy. Let cool.

Step 2: Prepare the Batters
For the pandan batter, whisk together tapioca flour, rice flour, coconut milk, pandan juice, sugar, and salt until smooth. For the mung bean batter, mix tapioca flour, rice flour, the prepared mung bean mixture, sugar, and salt until smooth. Strain both batters to remove lumps.

Step 3: Set Up the Steamer
Bring water in a steamer to a rolling boil. Place a round cake pan inside to preheat.

Step 4: Steam the Layers
Pour a thin layer (about ½ cup) of the green pandan batter into the hot pan. Steam for 5–7 minutes until set. Pour a similar amount of the mung bean batter over it and steam again. Alternate green and yellow layers, steaming each layer until firm before adding the next.

Step 5: Finish Steaming
After pouring the final layer, steam for an additional 15–20 minutes to ensure the cake is cooked through.

Step 6: Cool and Slice
Let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan. Brush a knife with a little oil and cut into diamond or square pieces for serving.