“Ah, look what I found....snacks”- Pedro Cabrera

Snacks. Bahn Cam (Orange Sesame Balls or Fried Rice Flour Balls with Mung Bean filling)

I start first with the dough. I mix cold or room temperature water in sweet rice flour and begin to knead it until it forms into a whole solid but still soft enough to work with. I pour in two to one ratio of mung bean and water into a pot and let it boil over high heat with no lid. I then add sugar and a pinch of salt into the mung beans and wait until all the water has evaporated. Once the beans are done and it becomes a paste consistency, I add it shaved coconut to give it texture and more flavor. I then let it sit until it cools completely. I then toast some sesame seeds until they are golden brown and put them aside or later. Once the mung bean paste cools, I use a teaspoon to scoop out the right amount of mung bean and begin to roll them into balls until I have enough or the amount I plan to make. I then take pieces of the rice flour dough and roll it thinly flat and cut it using a rim of a cup (more resourceful). I then place the ball of mung beans in the middle of my round cut flour dough and begin to fold in and close the sides together but still try to keep it sphere-like shape for appearance wise. I started a big pot of boiling oil before and I then fry the dough balls. Once they are brown yellow, I took them out o the oil and rolled them into the toasted sesame seeds.

And viola…….

You can describe them as a Vietnamese version of a "jelly doughnut."

 I have also made these filled with crushed azuki (red) beans and with sweet pork and shrimp with onions. I like to eat them when they are filled with mung beans though because of the health benefits of mung beans which allows me to bypass the amount of rice, sugar, and oil used to make them. They 're delicious, nonetheless!!!