If you’ve ever visited Vietnam or dined at an authentic Vietnamese restaurant, you might have come across these little delights known as Bánh Bèo Tôm Chấy (Vietnamese Mini Steamed Rice Cakes). This traditional dish features soft, steamed rice cakes topped with savoury prawn floss and crunchy textures. Depending on where you are in Vietnam, you might find different toppings – dehydrated prawns and fried pork skin in Central Vietnam, or a mix of fresh prawns, mung beans and pork mince elsewhere.
Our family version of Bánh Bèo Tôm Chấy
Like many Vietnamese dishes, Bánh Bèo Tôm Chấy can be adapted to personal taste, and this is our family’s go-to version. I’m not a fan of fried pork skin, so I swap that out for homemade croutons, just as crunchy and a lot more to my liking. I love making the prawn topping using dried prawns, which are easy to store in the freezer and have that signature chewiness and deep umami flavour. When the craving hits, I just grab a portion from the freezer and start prepping.
Prepping the batter for the steamed rice cakes
The base of Bánh Bèo Tôm Chấy is soft and slightly chewy steamed rice cake. For the batter, I use a mix of rice flour and tapioca flour, my idea ratio is 85% rice flour to 15% tapioca. This gives a nice balance between softness and that bit of chew. Feel free to adjust depending on how chewy you like your cakes.
Simply combine the flours with a pinch of salt, then gradually mix in cold water until smooth. Add boiling water at the end, stir well and let the batter rest for a least one hour. Resting the batter is important, it helps the texture develop properly during steaming.
Making the toppings
Prawn floss (tôm chấy)
While the batter rests, I get the toppings ready. I soak a portion of dried prawns from my freezer in warm water for about 15 minutes until softened. Once rehydrated, I drain and blitz them in a food processor. I like mine with a bit of texture, so I only pulse a few times rather than blend it smooth.
In a pan, I saute minced garlic, the white parts of spring onions and some finely chopped red chilli in olive oil until fragrant. Then in go the blitzed prawns, a touch of sugar and a splash of soy sauce. I usually use dark soy sauce as I prefer a richer colour contrast against the white pancake base. I sometimes add annatto oil at the end for an extra pop of orange-red but this is optional.
Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes until the mixture is drier and the prawns have separated. You don’t want them too dry, they should still have some chew left.
Homemade croutons
Instead of fried pork skin, I made my own croutons using slices of homemade bread. Cut into small cubes, toss them in olive oil and onion granules then pop into the air fryer at 240°C for 4-5 minutes. Give them a couple of stirs to make sure they crisp up evenly. They come out golden, crunchy and full of flavour. Since I started baking our own bread to avoid the additives in store-bought ones, this has become a favourite way to use up leftovers.
Spring onion oil
For that finishing touch, I make a quick spring onion oil. Heat olive oil in a pan, toss in the chopped green parts of spring onions, stir briefly and remove from heat. The residual heat is enough to infuse the oil while keeping the greens bright and fresh.
The essential Nước Chấm dipping sauce
No Vietnamese Mini Steamed Rice Cakes is complete without nước chấm, the classic dipping sauce. My go-to ratio is super simple: 1 part fish sauce, 1 part sugar, 1 part lime juice and 5 parts water. Mix it all together and add some finely chopped red chilli for that perfect sweet-sour-savoury-spicy kick.
Steaming and assembling Bánh Bèo Tôm Chấy
Once your batter has rested, it’s time to steam. I use small dipping sauce plates as moulds, they’re just the right size. Stir the batter to make sure it’s even, then pour a couple of tablespoons into each plate. Steam for about 8 minutes. If you’re steaming multiple layers, you may need to adjust the time slightly to make sure everything is fully cooked.
You can serve the pancakes straight from the steaming plates or transfer them to a larger serving dish.
Top each mini steamed cake with a spoonful of prawn floss, some crunchy croutons and a drizzle of spring onion oil. Before eating, add a spoonful of nước chấm to each one. Delicious!
Final thoughts
Bánh Bèo Tôm Chấy (Vietnamese Mini Steamed Rice Cakes) makes a brilliant starter or light lunch. Even better, it can be served at room temperature or cold, which means you can prepare them ahead of time. It’s one of those wonderfully customisable and surprisingly easy to recreate at home.
If you’re curious about Vietnamese cooking or simply looking to impress with something unique, Bánh Bèo Tôm Chấy is absolutely worth a try. Let me know if you give it a go and stay tuned, as I’ll be sharing my homemade bread recipes soon!
Bánh Bèo Tôm Chấy (Vietnamese Mini Steamed Rice Cakes)
Description
Bánh Bèo Tôm Chấy is a beloved Vietnamese dish featuring soft, steamed rice flour cakes topped with dried prawn floss, crispy croutons, and aromatic spring onion oil. Traditionally served with a sweet, tangy nước chấm dipping sauce, these mini steamed rice cakes are light, flavourful, and perfect as a starter or a make-ahead dish for gatherings.
Ingredients
For the batter
For the prawn topping
For the croutons
For the spring onion oil
For the dipping sauce (nước chấm)
Instructions
-
Make the batter
- In a bowl, mix rice flour, tapioca flour and salt.
- Gradually add cold water while stirring, then pour in the boiling water and mix well.
- Leave the batter to rest for at least 1 hour.
-
Prepare the prawn topping
- Soak dried prawns in warm water for 15 minutes, drain then blitz briefly in a food processor (not too fine, you want some texture).
- Sauté garlic, chilli and the white spring onion in olive oil until fragrant.
- Add prawns, soy sauce, sugar and annatto oil (if using).
- Stir-fry over low heat for 5 minutes until dry but still chewy. Set aside.
-
Make the croutons
- Toss bread cubes with olive oil and onion granules.
- Air-fry at 240°C for 4-5 minutes, stir a couple of times, until golden and crisp.
-
Prepare spring onion oil
- Heat olive oil in a small pan.
- When hot, add chopped green spring onion, stir briefly, then remove from heat.
- Transfer to a bowl to retain the green colour.
-
Make nước chấm
- Mix fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and water.
- Stir until sugar dissolves.
- Add chopped red chilli.
-
Steam the rice cakes
- Give the rested batter a good stir.
- Pour 2 tablespoons into small dishes (like dipping sauce plates, brushed with oil to avoid sticking).
- Steam for 8 minutes, adjusting time if layering plates.
- They should be soft, translucent and cooked through.
-
Assemble and serve
- Serve in dishes or remove to a serving plate.
- Top each rice pancake with a spoonful of prawn topping, a few crunchy croutons and a drizzle of spring onion oil.
- Just before eating, add a small spoonful of nước chấm.
- These Bánh Bèo Tôm Chấy are best enjoyed fresh or served at room temperature, making them perfect for parties, starters or just a lovely weekend treat.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 24
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 88.1kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 3.87g6%
- Saturated Fat 0.54g3%
- Cholesterol 5.25mg2%
- Sodium 191.54mg8%
- Potassium 42.22mg2%
- Total Carbohydrate 11.78g4%
- Dietary Fiber 0.44g2%
- Sugars 1.6g
- Protein 1.63g4%
- Vitamin A 5.03 mcg
- Vitamin C 6.31 mg
- Calcium 10.61 mg
- Iron 0.25 mg
- Vitamin E 0.62 mg
- Vitamin K 6.43 mcg
- Thiamin 0.02 mg
- Riboflavin 0.01 mg
- Niacin 0.56 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.08 mg
- Folate 5.73 mcg
- Vitamin B12 0.05 mcg
- Phosphorus 26.55 mg
- Magnesium 10.05 mg
- Zinc 0.17 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
