November: Bánh Bèo

What does bánh bèo mean to me? Why bánh bèo?

I know I have said this about many dishes before, but I have never had bánh bèo like my mom’s ANYWHERE. Not even Huế, the city where the dish originated from, can hold a candle to my mom’s bánh bèo. 

I only recently learned that there is an explanation to the uniqueness of her preparation of bánh bèo. In my early years, central Vietnamese cuisine was not easily accessible in the States, but my mom held her breath with anticipation everytime we made our monthly trip to Westminster, the Vietnamese town nearby. However, when strolling through Phước Lộc Thọ, she was highly disappointed to see the dishes that were once intricately prepared for Vietnamese emperors -- bánh bột lọc, bánh bèo -- were sold as skimpy appetizers, sandwiched between saran wrap and a styrofoam tray, placed in front of cash registers as to-go items. 

She fared no better when she returned to Vietnam for the first time in 1999 since she escaped. While multiple dishes of bánh bèo and fish sauce were served on trays back in her hometown of Đà Nẵng, the toppings of just dried shrimp and pork rinds seemed bland compared to what she knew growing up. So when she returned, she began to cook and refine the bánh bèo that I have known for most of my life: thick, white rice flour cakes; topped with a dollop of pureed, sauteed shrimp; dressed with ground shrimp -- one portion dried, one portion roasted; with green onion soaked in olive oil spooned on top of all that. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the prepared fish sauce with fresh Thai chilli pepper to each dressed rice cake, and voila! You have my mom’s bánh bèo.

Bánh Bèo -- in all their glory

I have many positive memories with bánh bèo. Many of them involve my dad challenging guests of the house who -- fortunately and unfortunately -- come over when my mom makes the dish, to engage in a bánh bèo-eating contest. I have witnessed my father pulverizing egos as he stacks empty dishes in front of him, while guests are conflicted between savoring the dish and taking him up on the contest. To add insult to injury, my dad would inhale at least one Thai chilli pepper per bánh bèo dish and smile directly at the guests as he sucked in air between his teeth to minimize the heat. (Yes, I am starting to notice where my competitive spirit comes from.)

Coming back to my “why:” I am on a journey to learn and retain my mother’s unique preparation of famous and not-so-famous Vietnamese cuisine. At the pinnacle of this journey is bánh bèo, the dish I have trained over the past few months to make via other recipes. While I have one more dish to make after this, I see bánh bèo as my “Showstopper” -- where I am pulling out all the stops to demonstrate what the skills I have acquired over time. (Yes, I love “The Great British Baking Show.”) 

Let’s do this.

How did I make bánh bèo?

Linked is a Google Document with my mother’s recipe.

Because bánh bèo requires a number of resources that I am not yet ready to commit to buying (i.e. double layered steamer pot, 50+ mini bowls), I intentionally saved this dish for the holidays, knowing that I could borrow the materials from my mom. I requested that she refrain from cooking the dish with me, because I wanted to learn from the experience as much as possible in order to understand how to make bánh bèo independently in the future. However, she eagerly stepped into an assistant role, where she washed and dried dishes, chopping boards, and knives, and served as my consultant as I inquired about tastes and textures that I should expect.

Sautéing the shrimp with shallots before pureeing them

Dried shrimp, post-soak

Sautéing the chopped shrimp for toppings (I'm hearing Bubba's voice in my head right now...) 

Steaming 16 cakes at a time (8 per layer)

Also, for mood music, I played all the hip-hop albums that I recommended to my mom through the “I Still Love H.E.R.” podcast episode titled “Dear Mama.” As predicted, she loved Lauryn Hill and tolerated the rest. 

Who tried my bánh bèo?

During the Thanksgiving break, I aimed to promote and retain the safest environment possible by limited our intermingling to a maximum of three households: Me, Andrew, Eggsy; my mom, my dad, Cậu Trường; and Lindsay. 

Eggsy was a bit territorial about our family when Lindsay arrived, but he warmed up to her after she engaged in a good ol' game of tug-o-war with him. 

Lindsay is one of my close home friends from high school. We share many interests and passions -- such as music, traveling, and introspective reflections -- and we have stayed close given our unconditional support of one another through a number of personal challenges that each of us have undergone simultaneously or separately. She is one of the people who brings me joy during the holiday season: She always opens her house up to me when I come back to my parents’ with no other agenda than to eat and binge on TV shows, and together, we have engaged in baking journeys, happy hours, and guiltless indulgence of romantic comedies. Even when I am not around, she shows my family so much love; when my mom contracted COVID in March, Lindsay was one of the folks who made and dropped off an impromptu care kit, and it is a gesture that mom remembers dearly. This time around, I was excited to invite her over for dinner to return her kindness, hospitality, and service-oriented attitude.

How was it?

In retrospect, I was very pleased with the process and the result. Andrew shared that he essentially saw no difference between my mother’s bánh bèo and mine, which is the biggest compliment that I received that evening. I think my biggest flaw with the dish is that I accidentally spooned too much oil with the green onions on top of most of the cakes. However, that was adjustable with the rest of the bánh bèo we made.

Admittedly, I did not enjoy the fruits of my labor as much as I thought I would at the time. Toward the end of the day, I learned that my sister had contracted COVID through a previous work trip, and she found out right before our dinner. My mom and I switched into emergency-care mode and immediately packed a number of bánh bèo cakes and goodies to take to her place of quarantine, which was not too far away. However, after returning home to eat dinner, my mind continued to wander back to Thao and her wellness. I tried to stay anchored in my gratefulness for her partner, Skye, in taking care of her, and in my immediate surroundings, but I could tell that the rest of us were very worried as well. 

Today, almost two weeks later, I am happy to report that my sister is recovering, and that I have tested negative for COVID after my visit back home. While 2020 has had its cruel moments, I find that there are some silver linings to be thankful for.