A dish of ‘banh trung’. (Photo by Viet An)

The crust of the cake is made from whole wheat flour. The dough is kneaded thoroughly so that it is soft and does not stick to the hands. If too wet, the dough will melt, if too dry, it will break.

Take a little piece of dough, stretch it out, add the filling, and roll it into a ball. The filling of ‘banh trung’ is composed of shredded coconut, black beans, onions, garlic, pepper and spices.

Black beans are stewed in advance until soft and then mixed with the rest of the ingredients. Then the cake is then boiled or steamed for about 10-15 minutes until the crust turns clear.

Upon finishing cooking, the cake is lightly brushed with onion or shallot oil to give it an amazing aroma and prevent sticking.

‘Banh trung’ has a thin, almost transparent crust and is slightly chewy. The black bean filling is soft and rich, with a touch of crunch from the coconut.