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The popularity of Vietnamese food outweighs that of Vietnamese sweets. The majority of people associate Vietnamese cuisine with Bahn Mi sandwiches, rice noodle preparations and Pho. However, the sweets from Vietnam also deserve special attention.
Bananas, coconut, sticky rice, bean puddings, and fruit jellies are common ingredients in traditional Vietnamese sweets. Desserts in Vietnam like cakes, custards, and sweet soups are a pleasure for those who enjoy sweets and are willing to try different flavours and textures.
Bánh Flan (Vietnamese Crème Caramel)
The Vietnamese equivalent of crème caramel is called bánh flan which is a timeless and iconic delicacy. The French, who had a big impact on Vietnamese culture and cuisine during their colonisation, had a direct influence on this Vietnamese variation.
Bánh flan is a beautiful and delicate dessert, even though its components and preparation are straightforward; using a creamy milk and egg custard with flavours of vanilla or coffee, and baked in ramekins topped with caramel. Once ready, the flan is served with a rich, dark caramel sauce poured on the top, coating the entire cake with a delicious amber hue.
Bánh Chuối (Vietnamese Banana Cake)
This traditional Vietnamese dish, which can be baked (nướng) or steamed (hấp), revolves around bananas. Chopped bananas are typically combined with a creamy mixture of sugar, condensed milk, and coconut milk; bread, eggs, or shredded coconut are optional.
Some variations of the cakes have the texture and shape of banana fritters or contain extra components and flavourings, depending on the ingredients and cooking method. Sesame seeds and a generous amount of coconut cream are common garnishes for steam-cooked variations.
Chè Bưởi (Pomelo Sweet Soup)
Chè bưởi is a popular Vietnamese soup made with pomelo. Mung beans, coconut, and pomelo are combined to make it. The white, spongy sections of the pomelo are used for the dish once the green cover is removed. After being cut into cubes, they are salted, soaked in water, washed, cooked, and then combined with tapioca starch and sugar.
Steamed mung beans, water, coconut milk, and sugar are added to the mixture and stirred until a thick consistency is achieved. This dessert's cooling qualities make it particularly popular throughout the summer.
Chè
Any traditional sweet soup, drink, custard or other custard-like dessert prepared with either water or coconut cream as a foundation and served hot or cold is considered a Vietnamese chè dish. Additional components for chè preparation include several jams and preserves, legumes and beans, grains and rice, as well as tubers and cereals.
It is said that chè sweets first appeared in the central area of Vietnam, but they are now widely accessible and prepared in a myriad of ways throughout the nation. The so-called chè đậu trắng is one of the most well-liked chè variants made at home. They are a popular snack item, often offered in plastic cups in Vietnamese grocery shops, because of their robust components such as beans and sticky rice.
Chè Trôi Nước (Sticky Rice Balls in Ginger Syrup)
Rice balls and a sweet broth with a ginger flavour are combined to make the Vietnamese treat known as chè trôi nước. The stuffing within the glutinous rice balls is often made of a mixture of mung bean paste and coconut milk, while the soup is typically sweetened with palm sugar and occasionally flavoured with pandan leaves.
Though regarded as a traditional Vietnamese speciality, it is thought that the dish was inspired by tangyuan, an equivalent Chinese sweet soup. Always served warm, chè trôi nước is usually topped with toasted sesame seeds and coconut milk.
Bánh Rán/ Bánh Cam
These deep-fried sticky rice balls are certainly known to you if you enjoy Chinese dim sum. They go by several names in Vietnam, such as bánh rán or bánh cam, depending on where you are.
Similar to Chinese jiandui, Vietnamese crispy fried sweet treats are formed into balls using glutinous rice flour. They have white sesame seeds on top and are packed with a paste made from sweetened yellow mung beans.
These mung bean pastry balls are called bánh rán in the North of Vietnam. The Northern variant is covered with simple syrup or sesame seeds, and it smells of jasmine flower fragrance.
Bánh cam is the term used to describe them in the South. Aside from the name, the Southern version differs in that it is flavoured with vanilla extract rather than jasmine flower essence. Additionally, the filling of these can be prepared using freshly shredded coconut.
Bánh Bo Nuong
One of the most well-liked cakes in Vietnamese cuisine is this visually striking bánh bo nuong. Because of its distinctive honeycomb structure, which is the result of pockets of expanding gas, it is frequently referred to as Vietnamese honeycomb cake.
Rich coconut milk and tapioca starch are added to a batter composed of rice flour to make banh bo nuong. Though it can be flavoured with a variety of ingredients, pandan is most frequently used to give the cake its beautiful green colour and scent.
This tasty Vietnamese sponge cake, which has a bouncy texture, is typically served warm, either by itself or with a steaming cup of tea.
