VIETNAM
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Bánh or pastries is the most diverse category in Vietnamese cuisine.
Bánh mì is a stuffed sandwich, but instead of two pieces of white bread, there is a French baguette with a golden crisp crust.
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Bánh xèo contains a thin crispy sheet made of rice batter and turmeric powder, which in turn is filled with various ingredients.
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Bánh khoái is rumored to be the origin of bánh xèo. Yet it's markedly thicker and served together with a thick sauce.
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Bánh bột lọc is a little, clear-looking dumpling stuffed with whole-grilled shrimp and seasoned pork belly.
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Bánh nậm has similar fillings to bánh bột lọc. Yet the ingredients are ground and spread on the batter, before steaming in banana leaves.
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Hue is also the birthplace of bánh bèo, or “water fern cake”.
This flimsy rice cake is made by steaming a mixture of rice flour and tapioca starch. It’s then topped with dried shrimp, crispy pork skin, scallion oil, and a drizzle of mixed fish sauce.
Bánh giò is a pyramidical dumpling wrapped in banana leaf. Fillings include ground pork and wood ear mushrooms.
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Bánh cuốn are steamed rice rolls stuffed with wood ear mushrooms and seasoned ground pork.
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8.
Bánh căn is a batch of mini pancakes cooked in a traditional terracotta pan.
The cakes are then used to sandwich a combination of minced pork, shrimp, scallion oil, and even quail eggs.
A variation of bánh căn is bánh khọt which is fried on a cast-iron pan.
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