- Bánh
"Bánh" is a Vietnamese term translating loosely as "cake" or "bread." As such, it may, with the addition of qualifying adjectives, refer to a wide variety of distinct cakes, buns, pastries, and other similar food items from
Vietnamese cuisine , which may be cooked by steaming, baking, frying, deep-frying, or boiling. In general, anything made fromflour can be called "bánh"."Bánh" may also refer to certain varieties of noodles, such as for example "
bánh canh " or "bánh hỏi ".Each variety of "bánh" is designated by a descriptive word or phrase that follows the word "bánh", such as "
bánh bò " (literally "cow cake") or "bánh chuối " (literally "banana cake")."Bánh" that are wrapped in leaves before steaming are called "
bánh lá " (literally "leaf cakes").The term is derived from the
Sino-Vietnamese character (which is pronounced bǐng in Mandarin Chinese).Varieties
There is a nearly endless variety of named dishes with the prefix "bánh". What follows is a list of the most typical traditional varieties of "bánh".
Noodles
*
Bánh canh - thick noodle
*Bánh hỏi [http://www.flickr.com/photos/nghiadangoi/454893250/ photo] - extremely thin noodles that are woven into intricate bundles and often topped with chopped scallions and a complementary meat dish
*Bánh phở - rice noodlesDumplings
* Bánh bá trạng (Bak Chang dumplings) - like Chinese "
zongzi " [http://pwmf.blogspot.com/2006/05/bnh-b-trng-bak-chang-dumplings.html]
*Bánh bao [http://www.flickr.com/photos/run_time/448447636/ photo] - ball-shaped bun filled with pork and/or other ingredients
* Bánh bột lọc, dumplings
** Bánh bột lọc trần [http://www.flickr.com/photos/53433754@N00/2370292856/ photo] - dumplings with wrappers made of tapioca starch; similar to Chaozhou "fun guo "
** Bánh bột lọc lá [http://www.flickr.com/photos/8512966@N06/591104565/ photo] - tiny rice flour dumplings stuffed with shrimp and ground pork and wrapped in a banana leaf; from Hue
*Bánh cam - deep-fried glutinous rice sesame balls filled with sweetened mung bean paste; from southern Vietnam
* Bánh ít - small stuffed glutinous rice flour balls
** Bánh ít trần [http://www.flickr.com/photos/20933125@N00/150952822/ photo] - "naked" small stuffed glutinous rice flour balls
* Bánh khúc [http://www.flickr.com/photos/mongan/10426194/ photo] - glutinous rice ball
* Bánh nậm [http://www.flickr.com/photos/8122627@N03/507471453/ photo] - flat rice flour dumpling from Hue stuffed with minced pork and mushroom, and seasoned with pepper and spices; wrapped in a banana leaf
* [http://pwmf.blogspot.com/2006/02/bnh-phu-th-husband-and-wife-cakes.html Bánh phu thê] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/petebeck/507859060/ photo] - (literally "husband and wife cake"; a sweet cake made of rice or tapioca flour and gelatin, filled with mung bean paste; also spelled "bánh xu xê")
**Bánh phu thê bột bán (husband and wife cakes made with tapioca pearls)
*Bánh rán - deep-fried glutinous rice sesame balls filled with sweetened mung bean paste; from northern Vietnam
*Bánh tẻ , small steamed rice cake wrapped with leaves of some local trees into a long, thin cylindrical shape, and boiled thoroughly.Pancakes
*
Bánh bèo [http://www.flickr.com/photos/professorsalt/45272318/ photo] - small steamed savory rice cakes
* Bánh căn [http://www.flickr.com/photos/vietnamfriendly/875418763/ photo] - a southern specialty consisting of small pancakes made with quail eggs, cooked in small clay pans
*Bánh đúc , rice cake or corn cake eaten as a dessert or savory meal [http://www.fao.org/inpho/content/documents/vlibrary/AE617e/25.htm photo]
* Bánh rế - deep-fried pancake
* Bánh khọt [http://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnyle/58540335/ photo] - a southern specialty consisting of small, fried rice flour pancakes
*Bánh xèo - coconut milk-flavored crepesRolls
*
Bánh cuốn - steamed rice roll
* Bánh tôm - shrimp patties
** Bánh tôm Hồ Tây [http://www.flickr.com/photos/33218371@N00/254667247/ photo] - a shrimp patty specialty originating from the area around West Lake (Hồ Tây), HanoiRice paper
*Bánh tráng - rice paper
*Bánh ướt - steamed rice paperandwiches
*
Bánh mì - Vietnamese sandwichweet cakes
*
Bánh bò - "cow cake," made from glutinous rice flour and coconut milk, with a honeycomb-like texture
*Bánh cáy , rectangular-shaped sweet dessert made by roasting and grinding glutinous rice and other ingredients
*Bánh da lợn - colored steamed layer cake made from tapioca starch, rice flour, coconut milk and/or water, sugar, and other ingredients
*Bánh đúc , rice cake or corn cake eaten as a dessert or savory meal [http://www.fao.org/inpho/content/documents/vlibrary/AE617e/25.htm photo]
*Bánh chuối - banana cake
* Bánh khoai môn - taro cake
* Bánh tiêu - hollow doughnuts [http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronhuynh/706470172/ photo]
* Bánh trung thu - mooncake
*Bánh khoai mì [http://www.flickr.com/photos/diepphi_tran/623314931/ photo] - sweet cassava cakeDishes for special occasions
*
Bánh chưng - square-shaped steamed glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in adong leaf ("lá dong")
*Bánh tét - log-shaped cylindrical glutinous rice cake, wrapped in a banana leaf and filled with a meat or vegetarian filling
* Bánh trôi [http://www.flickr.com/photos/phuongnguyen/173383935/ photo] (also called "bánh chay"; literally "floating cake") - served together with "bánh chay"Others
* Bánh bông hồng [http://www.flickr.com/photos/8512966@N06/591104607/in/photostream/ photo]
* Bánh bông lan
* Bánh chay - served together with "bánh trôi"
* Bánh cốm
* Bánh đa
* Bánh đậu xanh [http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoangtungx/123256443/ photo]
* Bánh dứa
* Bánh gai
* Bánh giầy, also written as "bánh dầy"
* Bánh giò
* Bánh ít lá gai
* Bánh kẹp
* Bánh mật
* Bánh lá dừa
* Bánh phồng tôm
* Bánh phục linh
* Bánh quế
* Bánh tráng nướngExternal links
* [http://dina-n-brian.com/Alice/Banhguide.htm Alice's Guide to Vietnamese Banh]
* [http://pitchblack70.tripod.com/gaijingirl/MealsVietnamese.html List of varieties of "bánh"]ee also
*
Bing (Chinese flatbread)
*Vietnamese cuisine
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