Recipe Steamed Banana Cake (Bánh Chuối Hấp)

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I saw Andrew Zimmern enjoy these in Saigon on his Bizarre Foods show. These are not nearly as bizarre as some of the things he's enjoyed. But, the process of making them was challenging because - as the name says - it involves steaming them. I have a small steamer that I've used for vegetables, but I didn't have anything large enough to steam a cake pan. Or so I thought.

I found a recipe, and adapted it to use healthier ingredients. The idea is to get something that can have water releasing steam without having the thing directly in the water. So, I decided to fill a pot half-full with water, and place a cake pan on top of it. The pan is one I last used for a Valentines Day cake:

The 'cakes' end up being approximately brownie-sized, and they're not too terribly unhealthy the way I made them:

Cake Ingredients

5 banana ripe
3/4 cups rice flour
1/4 tsp Stevia
1/4 tsp salt
2 drops vanilla extract

Sauce Ingredients

13.6 ounce can light coconut milk
1 tsp Stevia
1/2 cup water
1 tsp rice flour

Finishing

Sesame seeds


Directions

1. Peel the bananas. Take 2 of 5 bananas and slice thinly. Smash the remaining by using a knife.
Transfer the bananas into a big bowl. Add salt and 1/4 teaspoon of Stevia. Mix well and let it stand for 5 minutes.

2. Add flour, water, and vanilla extract. NOTE: the original recipe called for the addition of yellow food coloring. Mix well until combined.

3. Brush oil over cake pan bottom and sides, then sprinkle some rice flour over the oil and tap pan to remove excess. Pour batter into the pan and place into the steamer and steam for 20 minutes on medium-high heat.

4. Meanwhile, for the sauce, in a small bowl, add flour and water. Stir until it’s smooth.
In a sauce pan, add coconut milk, remaining Stevia, water, and salt. Stir well until dissolved.

5. Cook on medium heat until simmer and stir often. Add rice flour mixture and continue to cook and stir for 1 minute or until thicken. Turn off heat and set aside.

6. Check the steamer and remove the cake and let it cool down for 45 minutes.

7. Remove the cake from the pan and cut into diamond shapes.

8. To serve: Place the cake on a dessert dish. Top with coconut sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

 

[medtran49]

Did they cook them in a bamboo steamer on the show? I wonder about using some of the little glass pyrex type bowls or small ramekins to make individual cakes and putting them in the bamboo steamer.

We don't use the bamboo steamer enough. I like it that you can cook an entire meal using a multi-tiered one.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Did they cook them in a bamboo steamer on the show? I wonder about using some of the little glass pyrex type bowls or small ramekins to make individual cakes and putting them in the bamboo steamer.

We don't use the bamboo steamer enough. I like it that you can cook an entire meal using a multi-tiered one.

Yes...it was a bamboo steamer...a big one. But, your idea sounds like it would be perfect. I do know that there's something I'm missing in not having that "woody" bamboo flavor come through in things I steam. Next time I go to my favorite Asian grocery store, I'm going to pick one up (thanks for putting the idea in my head!)

By the way, steamed cakes end up being spongy...that's how they're supposed to be, but I expect some people would be put off by the texture (expecting a cake to be a flaky, dry-but-moist texture).

 

[medtran49]

You'll really like the bamboo steamer with your recent change in lifestyle. Very, very little need for oils or fats. You use spices and the steam (broth, saki, court bouillon type liquid, etc) to add flavor to your proteins and veges. I was just looking at some different recipes and found several that look good, including 1 with pork belly pieces. We tend to forget about our steamer until something reminds us.

I did know that about steamed cakes. They sort of remind me of a microwave cooked cake but moister.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

@medtran49: I just placed an order on Amazon (no wonder why they're taking over the world...I didn't want to wait until I had time to stop at my Asian grocery store).