Banh Gio Steamed Minced Pork and Rice Dumpling

Banh gio (steamed minced pork rice dumpling) is a pyramidal shaped snack food of my childhood.  Just like banh pate so, my mom would make dozens of these for my siblings and I to eat for breakfast and as after school snacks. Banh gio is a very simple and inexpensive dish, which is why she made this often and is made with rice flour, sauteed minced pork, onions and wood ear mushrooms. Mom worked hard and never rewarded herself with any fancy dining, clothing, or jewelry while we were growing up--in fact, we almost never ate in restaurants--but she always rewarded us with delicious simple and satisfying foods, and this starchy snack fits the bill.

Common as street food for breakfast in Vietnam, banh gio is a very portable snack and can be eaten on the go, although some do eat this with either fish sauce or maggi seasoning.  If the dough and pork filling is properly seasoned, we enjoy the banh gio simply by itself.

Mom mixes her own flour, a combination of rice flour and corn starch or you can buy a packaged flour like above, found in most Asian groceries.  The dough is first precooked and then wrapped with the pork filling in banana leaf and then finally steamed.

Banh Gio (Steamed Minced Pork Rice Dumpling)
Printable Recipe

Dough

• 1- 12 oz package of banh gio flour mix (makes about 12 dumplings)
• 1/2 tbs salt
• 1/2 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs cooking oil (olive or canola)
• 3 cups of water 
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 package of banana leaves

Filling

• 3/4 lb of minced pork
• 1/2 cup wood ear mushroom strips, soaked in warm water 10 minutes, drain and minced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs oyster sauce
• 1 tbs ground black pepper

First rinse the banana leaves and wipe dry with a paper towel and cut up your banana leaves into rectangles about five inches wide and set aside.

In a wok or large pan and a small amt of cooking oil, sautee the onions. When they become transulcent, add the pork  and wood ear mushrooms and stir. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper. Cook until pork is done and adjust final seasoning to taste.  Cover and set aside.

In medium pot under medium heat, add the water and chicken broth and rice flour mix and immediately stir.  Add the salt, sugar, oil and continue constantly to stir until the mixture thickens to a mashed potato like consistency, about 10 minutes or so.  Remove from heat and now you're ready to form the banh gio dumpling.

Cooks note:

• The filling can be made a day in advance.
• You can use all water for the dough or any combination of water and chicken stock.

My Mom is a culinary genius. The first time we tried to make this without consulting her, our banh gio was more like a blob. This is my mom's easy way to make the perfect pyramid shaped banh gio.   First, roll your sheet of banana leaf into a cone. Take about 1.5 tbs of the dough and stuff it in. Using your spoon, create a small cavity in the dough and add about 2 tbs of pork mixture.  Finally add another 1.5 tbs of dough to the base and spread evenly.   Fold over the banana leaf and trim any excess. Keep a bowl of water handy to keep the dough from sticking to the spoon.

Perfect pyramid shaped banh gio couldn't be easier! Wrap these with plastic wrap and steam for 15 minutes.

While best right out of the steamer, what we can't eat right away, we throw in the freezer.  Just defrost overnight in the fridge and microwave about 2 minutes and it still delicious.  It's the perfect snack, simple but satisfying.

 If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe and