While Southern Vietnam is well-known for its hot and humid weather, Northern provinces enjoy all 4 seasons Summer, Spring, Winter, and Autumn. This weather pattern greatly enriched Northern Vietnamese cuisines, through the addition of Winter comfort dishes such as Pho, Steamed Roll Sheets, and most uniquely, Banh Duc (aka Steamed Rice Cake). 

Steamed Rice Cake originated in rural Northern Vietnam as a replacement for everyday meals of rice and pork. The dish was popular among the poor working class, as it could be made using leftover rice and pairable with many ingredients. Per standard, rice cake would be served in a regular rice bowl. On top of the hot and porridge-like rice cake would include grounded pork, random vegetables of choice, topped with crispy shallot and drowned in boned broth fish sauce. However, an economical “The Great Depression” version of the dish would consist of only rice cake drowned in fish sauce, with little to no protein filling. As post-war industrialization took place after 1975, Steamed Rice Cake become more popular as people immigrated to urbanized areas of Hanoi, Hai Phong seeking employment opportunities. During this period, Steamed Rice Cake becomes a must-have breakfast and snack at flea markets and local homemade food stores. The dish was also enriched with fishcakes, shrimp, and combinations of veggies. Some place even served their Steamed Rice bowl with Chinese bread sticks (Yes, the one you dip into vermicelli and soy milk). These creative customizations increased the popularity of Steamed Rice Cake in both Northern and Southern cities, making this dish a significant must-try in Vietnamese cuisine. 

As a Northerner who grows up in the extreme heat of Ho Chi Minh, I always find warm comfort food a special part of my trips to Hai Phong and Hanoi on the Lunar New Year break. Surprisingly, most of these high calories mouth-watering hot dishes are for breakfast and snack, rather than main courses for dinner. Usually sold by local vendors carrying yoke, this special comfort food is extremely limited compared to other breakfast dishes. Some popular vendors in Co Dao flea market, Hai Ba Trung cross sections would finish their batch as early as 9 am. With that being said, a warm bowl of rice cake drowned in fatty fish sauce broth, topped with spicy grounded pork, crushed mushroom, and a sprinkle of crispy shallot was totally worth getting out of bed early on a Winter morning. 

As I moved to Canada and spent more time in the cold, my craving for warm comfort food such as Steamy Rice Cake become more frequent. I started making them from scratch, with the help of Youtube tutorials and random cookbooks from Chinatown antique bookstores. After years of making my own Steamy Rice, I developed a lazier version of Steamy Rice Cake for freezing winter days. I always find this recipe convenient, with simple ingredients you can easily find in your kitchen or local grocery store. Aside from being a go-to option for a cozy night in, you can also surprise your friends with a pot of Steamy Rice Cake on Christmas potlucks. Let’s explore the recipe below: 

For one serving - adjustments can be made within the proportions of your choice

300 grams of Rice Flour (I recommend Taky Food) 

650 millimeters of warm water

½ Teaspoon of Salt 

½ Teaspoon of Cooking/Olive oil 

The ingredients below are recommendations based on toppings offered by famous Steamed Rice Cake vendors in my hometown Hai Phong. You can customize toppings of your choice by ex/including different types of meat and veggies. If you choose to go with The Great Depression version, skip this part and move on to the sauce. 

400 grams of green Papaya (personally I hate this option, but many of my friends liked the taste of Papaya on carb. You should give it a try.) 

20 grams of mushroom

250 grams of shrimp

250 grams of pork

Additional toppings: Chinese Crispy breadstick

This portion is for one bowl of Steamed Rice Cake - Adjustments can be made within the proportions of your choice. 

2 tablespoons of warm water

1 tablespoon of vinegar

1 tablespoon of sugar 

3 tablespoons of fish sauce

⅓ pack of Beef broth (I recommend the Bibigo Korean beef broth as shown below) 

Rice cake 

Mix 300 grams of Rice flour with 650 ml of water in a one-serving pot. 

Put the pot on the stove and mix well while boiling. 

When the mixture started to condense, add half a teaspoon of salt and cooking oil. 

Keep stirring until the mixture is thickened, then turn off the stove and keep the mixture covered on the side. 

While waiting for the rice cake to cool down, pour half a bowl or 3 tablespoons of fish sauce into a bowl. 

Add 2 tablespoons of warm water, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of sugar to your fish sauce. 

You may put half a spoon of sugar to make it sweeter or half a spoon of vinegar to make it sourer. 

Add chilly as needed. 

Pour ⅓ pack of beef broth to boiling and add in your fish sauce mixture. 

Boil for 10 minutes until the mixture has thickened. Then leave the mixture to cool down. 

Mix together shrimp, pork, and all the veggies in a warm pan. 

Add a teaspoon of soy sauce and half a teaspoon of MSG for more taste. 

Add a tablespoon of fish sauce you prepared. 

Leave the mixture to cook and shimmer. 

Serving: 

When you have finished the steps above, fill half of a porcelain rice bowl with rice cake. Then, start adding toppings until the bowl is full. Lastly, add around 3 tablespoons of soy sauce for extra spice. Then, pour yourself a cup of Vietnamese Iced Tea and enjoy! 

To my experience, a warm bowl of Lazy Banh Duc is best enjoyed in chilly weather or on a rainy afternoon. However, this would make a good and creative breakfast dish for Winter mornings as well.