October 21, 2009|43 comments
There’s so many different “banh” in Vietnamese cuisine (banh day and banh bot loc to name a few) that even we get confused. But it’s reflection of not only the diversity of the cuisine, but of the culture and country itself, with each region seemingly having it’s own special banh to call it’s own.
Banh it tran is a sticky rice dumpling originating in the central provinces of Vietnam. There are two major types of banh it–banh it tran is a savory rice dumpling filled with mung beans, pork, and shrimp and banh it la gai, a pyramidal shaped sweet dark green rice dumpling flavored by la gai (ramie leaf) and filled with sweetened mung bean and coconut and wrapped in banana leaves. Tran can mean bare/naked…so perhaps since banh it tran isn’t wrapped in banana leaves, that’s where it got it’s name? 🙂
Banh it tran is often served at family celebrations in Vietnam, but one often find it as street food as well. In America, you often find these wrapped in styrofoam trays in Vietnamese delis, but it’s also really simple to make your own.
Banh It Tran (Sticky Rice Dumplings with Shrimp and Pork)
Printable Recipe
- 16 oz bag of glutinous rice powder
- 1 2/3 cups water
- 1 ts salt
- 1/2 lb small to medium shrimp, cleaned, deshelled and deviened cut into small 1/4-1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 lb pork belly cut into small 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces (you can substitute leaner cuts if you like)
- 2 ts fish sauce
- 2 ts sugar
- 2 ts pepper
- 1 ts dark soy sauce
- 1 cup split mung beans, soaked in water for at least 4 hrs but best overnight
- banana leaf or aluminum foil, cut into small 3-4 inch squares
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- cooking oil
- fried shallots
- nuoc mam cham and pickled carrots and daikon
Filling:
Marinate the shrimp with 1 ts fish sauce, sugar, pepper and set aside for about 20 mins. Marinate the pork with 1 ts fish sauce, sugar, pepper, and dark soy sauce also for about the same time. In a large pan at medium high heat, saute the pork belly first. No oil is needed here as there’s plenty of fat in the belly. When it’s about 1/2 way done, add the shrimp. Saute until both are done and set aside.
You either steam or boil the mung beans. We prefer steaming it since we don’t like to stand in front of a pot and stirring (use only enough water just to cover the beans). Steam mung beans until you can easily smash the grain with your fingers. The longer you soak in water, the quicker it will steam–if overnight about 15 minutes. When done, transfer to bowl or mortar and lightly smash.
Now in mixing bowl, incorporate the crushed mung beans, shrimp and pork together. Allow to cool and form small balls, about quarter size and set aside.
Dough:
In mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice flour with salt and mix. Add the water, and work it into a pliable play dough like texture. Be patient–it’ll come together!
Misc:
Heat about 3 tbs of cooking oil and add scallions. Turn off heat and set aside.
Pinch off dough and roll into golf ball size and flatten into a disk. Add the ball of filling in the center and fold over the edges and roll gently, sealing it. You can keep a small bowl of water on hand and using your wet fingers seal off any cracks.
Lightly brush a bit of cooking oil on the banana leaves/foil and place the banh it tran on. Do not overcrowd the steamer and steam for about 8 minutes, until dough is opaque. Do not over steam as it will be flat. Remove and place in cold water bath to stop the cooking and remove the foil/banana leaf. Drain in colander and then place bowl. Add about 1 tbs of scallion oil or so and work it around so that the banh it tran do not stick together.
Top with additional fried shallots and serve with nuoc mam cham, pickled carrots and daikon, and chile pepper. The texture of the sticky rice dumpling is akin to mochi, but the savory mung bean, pork belly, and shrimp filling makes this dumpling oh-so-good. Dipped in the nuoc mam cham and crunch of the pickled carrots and daikon, banh it tran ranks up there as one of our favorite “banh”!
Posted In ăn chơi ~ starters, appetizers, Recipes, various bánh, Vietnamese
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FAQs
Sticky rice dumpling (Zongzi 糭子 in Chinese) is a classic Chinese food often eaten for celebrating Dragon Boat Festival. It's mainly made of glutinous rice, stuffed with seasoned pork belly, salted duck egg yolks or many different fillings, then wrapped in bamboo leaves, cooked in boiling water.
How long to cook frozen rice dumplings? ›
For room temperature or chilled state, steam for 15 to 20 minutes or microwave (800W) for 1 minute. For frozen state, thaw the rice dumplings fully and steam for 15 to 20 minutes or microwave (800W) for 1 minute. You may also boil from frozen state for 20 minutes.
How long can rice dumplings stay in the fridge? ›
A: Rice dumplings are best eaten when they are steamed, but may also be eaten as sold. If the rice dumplings are not consumed on the day of purchase, they should be placed in the refrigerator (chiller), where they can be kept for up to four days before consumption, or in the freezer for one month.
How to make the best sticky rice? ›
directions
- Wash rice several times (until the water is clear).
- Let soak for a few minutes in colander.
- Put rice in pan with tight fitting lid and add the water.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and quickly stretch clean tea towel over the pot, cover with lid.
Apart from watching dragon boat races, we also eat glutinous rice dumplings, a traditional festive food, to celebrate this major festival. However, many commercially available rice dumplings are high in energy and fat, so excessive consumption may lead to obesity.
Do you thaw frozen dumplings before cooking? ›
Do you need to defrost frozen dumplings? No, you do not need to defrost frozen dumplings before cooking, you can take them straight from the freezer to the pan. If you wanted a faster cooking time, let the dumplings partially thaw for 10 minutes before cooking.
Are frozen dumplings already precooked? ›
The trick with these dumplings is that they're not pre-cooked, and if you just fry them up for 5 minutes or put them in the microwave, you're in for a nice dose of ice-cold raw pork. (Yes, there are oher kinds of dumplings, including vegetarian ones, but today we're talking pork.)
How do you know when frozen dumplings are done boiling? ›
The Two Easiest Ways to Cook: Boiling and Steaming
Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add as many dumplings as can fit comfortably in a single layer in the pot and cook them until they float. Let them cook an additional two to three minutes. Fish them out with a strainer, drain them, and serve.
Can I eat 3 day old dumplings? ›
On the other hand, when it comes to uncooked dumplings, they last for about 1-3 days when stored properly in an air-tight container or plastic zipper bag in the fridge.
Can dumplings be eaten the next day? ›
If you are making dumplings ahead of time and are planning to consume them in a couple of hours or the next day, then refrigeration is the best approach.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food and safety basics states cooked food can be left at room temperature up to two hours. If the temperature outside (or inside your house) is 90°F or above, you should cut that time in half.
Why do people eat sticky rice dumplings? ›
History. Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) are traditionally eaten during the Duanwu Festival (Double Fifth Festival) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, and commonly known as the "Dragon Boat Festival" in English.
How do you fix sticky dumplings? ›
If they are homemade fresh dumplings, just as making breads, a few pitches of flour or corn powder will prevent them to stick together. If those are frozen dumplings, don't use hot water to boil them, out the dumplings in a pot of cold water and then heating them up, then they won't stick.
What is the difference between a sticky bun and a dumpling? ›
The difference between baozi and dumplings is that baozi is a fermented dough that is wrapped in a filling and steamed. Dumplings are unfermented dough. Dumplings are also steamed, fried, and most often boiled in boiling water. The main difference between them is whether or not they use a fermented dough.
What makes Chinese sticky rice sticky? ›
Glutinous rice is distinguished from other types of rice by having no (or negligible amounts of) amylose and high amounts of amylopectin (the two components of starch). Amylopectin is responsible for the sticky quality of glutinous rice.
