Banh Dau Xanh

Banh Dau Xanh

Huy Ky Bakery, $2.50

Every time I stop by the Saigon Deli I get the same sandwich (tofu) but a different kind of cake.   Today, in addition to the locally-made, plastic-wrapped cakes, they had a small assortment of more heavily packaged products from other commercial bakeries.  

This banh dau xanh came from the the Huy Ky Bakery in San Diego California.   The ingredients are pretty typical of Southeast Asian confections (sweet rice flour, mung beans, sugar, and oil), but they're combined in a less familiar way.   The rice starch forms thin foamy planks reminiscent of Japanese higashi or rakugan;  the bean paste filling is firm and buttery, and, unusually, scented with vanilla.