The exotic sounding Banh Dau Xanh cake is one unique to Vietnam. On my first trip to Vietnam, I was so curious to try it, having read so much about how interesting it was. The exotic name did not help matters!
The minute I popped the little square cake into my mouth, I immediately exclaimed “Its mung bean!” or what I call “Lek Tau” in Hokkien.
Yes, this sweet snack has its roots in Chinese cookies too. The mung bean cookies we eat are usually slightly crunchy and crumbly. The Banh Dau Xanh is soft and melts in your mouth and is very sweet.
The square cubes are really very small and you are supposed to eat them with hot chinese tea to best savour the experience. This box was purchased at the airport as we were leaving so it cost us a pretty penny. But if you buy it in the city, it hardly costs anything and makes great inexpensive souvenirs.
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That looks really interesting–I’ve never tried any Vietnamese desserts before. Guess I’ll have to make that trip to Hanoi at some point SOON!
Hi,
As a Vietnamese, it’s good to know that you like one of our traditional foods.
Although, I have to say that the cake’s look here seems abit off. It should be dark yellow and not grainy at all. Oh and not just Chinese tea can be had with this, green tea or black tea are both suitable as well. Whichever tea you pick, needs to be quite concentrated to match the sweetness.
Actually the color in the pic may not be off. It’s camera angle and lighting effect. YOu can buy them any in Vietnamese market in USA too. It’s can be made hard or soft. Ilike soft version. It just melts in your mouth and it has great healthy benefits