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Bánh Cam on a plate.
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Bánh Cam (Vietnamese Fried Sesame Balls)

Bite into ultra crispy Bánh Cam served hot and fresh from your kitchen. Bursting with a fragrant nutty flavor, they'll make you come back for seconds!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Dough Resting Time1 hour
Total Time3 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese
Servings: 10
Calories: 243kcal
Author: Jeannette

Equipment

  • Spatula
  • tea towel/plastic wrap (anything to cover the dough and filling from drying out)

Ingredients

For The Dough

  • 235 g / 1.9 US cup glutinous rice flour
  • 25 g / 3.2 tbsp rice flour
  • 15 g / 2 tbsp corn starch
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 75 g / 0.16 lb potato (cooked)
  • 80 g / 0.4 US cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil (plus more for frying)
  • 1/4 US cup boiling water
  • 1/2 US cup room temperature water (plus 1/4 US cup on the side if needed to moisten dough)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • white sesame seeds

For The Filling

  • 150 g / 0.33 lb split mung bean
  • 1 1/4 US cup water (to boil the mung beans)
  • 1/2 US cup water (for the cooked mung beans)
  • 40 g / 3.2 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 30 g / 0.07 lb shredded coconut
  • 1 tbsp oil

Instructions

  • Rinse the mung beans in cool water until the water runs clear, then transfer them into a pot with 1 1/4 cup water. Bring it to a boil, then let it simmer on a low-medium heat with the lid on for 15 minutes or until the water has evaporated.
  • Turn the heat to low and pour in 1/2 cup water. Use a spatula to mix the mung beans until they start to come together into a lumpy paste.
  • Season with the sugar, salt, vanilla extract and shredded coconut, then stir until combined. Mix in the oil and turn the heat up to low-medium to cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the paste is smooth. Make sure to stir the entire time.
  • Transfer the filling into a bowl to cool and cover the bowl to stop the paste from drying out.
  • To make the dough, mash the potato with the sugar, salt and vanilla extract until combined.
  • Add the oil and boiling water, then stir well. Pour in the room temperature water and mix it in.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour, corn starch, rice flour and baking powder.
  • Pour in the potato liquid bit by bit and mix it through, kneading until it forms a dough. Let it rest for 1 hour with a cover over the top.
    Note: The Vietnamese Fried Sesame Balls dough should be soft while still holding its shape. It should not stick to your hands.
  • Meanwhile, portion the mung bean paste and roll them into balls, roughly 3cm (1.2" wide). Cover them as you continue to work on the dough.
  • Once the hour is up, roll the dough ball into a long log about 3cm (1.2") thick and divide the log into approximately 16 pieces.
    Pro Tip: Divide the dough based on how many mung bean balls rolled.
  • Roll each dough piece into a round ball and cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap.
  • Take one mung bean ball and one dough ball out at a time. Flatten the dough into a circle and lay it over the mung bean ball. Gently pull and press the dough until it covers the entire filling.
  • Press the open part together to seal the filling inside, then pull off any excess dough. You can save each bit of excess to make another ball or discard it.
    Keep each rolled ball covered so they don't dry out.
  • Once every ball has been rolled, lightly dab one into a dish of water and spread the water around the surface. Then dip and roll the ball into a bowl of white sesame seeds. Toss it around until the entire surface is covered, then set aside for frying.
    Note: The water will help the seeds adhere to the surface.
  • Repeat with all the remaining balls.
  • Heat up a pot of oil to roughly 180°C (356°F) and fry 3 at a time or enough so that the pot isn't overcrowded. Fry each batch for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Place each cooked batch on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
  • Serve the Bánh Cam immediately as is!

Notes

  • Cover each ball in enough oil. Make sure to completely cover the balls so they don’t stick to the bottom and burn. This also prevents it from sticking and splitting apart as you move it.
  • Turn them regularly when frying. This will help the Bánh Cam develop an even color.
  • Coat the entire surface with sesame seeds. Doing so will ensure that the dough doesn’t stick to the base of the frying pan.
  • Use a blender. Blitz the filling in a blender for an even smoother paste.
  • To avoid simply buying one potato for this Bánh Cam recipe and discarding any leftovers, buy a few and save any that you don't use for Lagu Gà (Chicken Ragu) or Honey Pork Spare Ribs.
  • We buy dried split mung beans from Asian supermarkets for our Vietnamese Fried Sesame Balls. You'll find that they're yellow because the green skin or hulls have been removed.
  • The coconut shreds are the frozen ones found in Asian grocery store freezers. It's not the dried desiccated coconut.

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg