Sandwich Shop Goodies 19 – Bánh tiêu (Chinese sesame beignet)
Little Mom and I… we just have different tastes. She likes seafood. She prefers crunchy to soft. She doesn’t like sticky rice (!) She thinks the mini sponge muffins (bánh bò bông, the Vietnamese kind) are sourer than the white chewy honeycombs (bánh bò, the Chinese kind). I beg to differ. The mini sponges can be eaten alone; the honeycombs are almost always stuffed inside a hollow fried doughnut that is more savory than sweet: their sourness needs to be suppressed by the natural saltiness of oil and the airy crunch of fried batter. That doughnut, brought to us by the Chinese and called by us “bánh tiêu“, saves the honeycombs.
The honeycombs could go hang out with the dodo for all I care, but this Saigonese would always appreciate a well-fried bánh tiêu. At any time of the day, one would be able to spot a street cart with the signature double-shelf glass box next to a vat of dark yellow oil. The oil gets darkened from frying too many doughnuts too many times. Sure, it isn’t healthy. But should you really care about health when you eat fried dough?
“Fried dough has appeared in different forms – round, square, triangular, twisted – under many different names. The Dutch settlers had olykoeks (oily cakes); the French in Louisiana had beignets; the Spanish from Mexico made puchas de canela; and the Pennsylvania Germans made fastnachts around Lent.” (Jill MacNeice, “Doughnuts“, in the Roadside Food collection) Now I may add that the Vietnamese in California and Texas have bánh tiêu. One quality of bánh tiêu to make it superior over the other fried doughs: it isn’t coated in powder sugar. Studded with white sesame on one side, it tastes subtly salty of dough, fat, and roasted grain.
An excerpt about Vietnamese vendors making dầu cháo quẩy and bánh tiêu:
Vốc một nhúm bột khô rải đều trên bề mặt miếng gỗ đã trơn bóng – cốt để bột nhồi không bị dính – tiếp tục ngắt một cục bột đã ủ cho lên men, nhẹ nhàng vuốt dọc rồi dùng cây lăn cán qua, miếng bột đã được kéo ra thành một dây bột dài mỏng đều. Người bán lại tiếp tục dùng một thanh tre cật mỏng, xắn bột thành từng miếng đều nhau. Xếp chồng hai miếng bột lên rồi dùng một chiếc đũa ấn mạnh ở giữa, thế là đã được miếng bột “chuẩn” để làm bánh quẩy. Còn bánh tiêu thì phải qua công đoạn vốc một nắm mè vất ra giữa miếng gỗ để mè tự rải đều, sau đó mới dùng bột đã ủ đã nhồi cán thành miếng tròn dẹp, một mặt dính mè, một mặt không.
[…]
Bánh quẩy và bánh tiêu thường bán chung, có lẽ chủ yếu là vì hai loại bột làm bánh này không khác nhau là mấy. Cũng bột mì nhồi với bột khai là chính. Nhưng với bánh quẩy, người ta cho thêm chút muối, chỉ một chút thôi đủ để bánh không lạt lẽo, nhưng vẫn còn giữ được độ ngọt nguyên thủy của bột mì.
Còn với bánh tiêu, người ta lại cho thêm ít đường, cũng rất ít, đủ để làm dậy hơn vị ngọt của bột. Vị ngọt của bánh tiêu vì thế rất nhẹ, không như những loại bánh ngọt khác. Với bánh tiêu, người mua cũng không đòi hỏi phải giòn đến như bánh quẩy. Cái hấp dẫn ở bánh tiêu lại là ở những hạt mè thơm ngậy. Những hạt mè trắng li ti sau khi chiên trở nên căng mẩy, quyện với mùi thơm của bột mì chiên giòn trở nên hấp dẫn kỳ lạ. Nếu như bánh quẩy thường được cho vào dùng chung với cháo, với phở thì bánh tiêu thường được dùng kèm với bánh bò. Xẻ đôi chiếc bánh tiêu, kẹp vào giữa miếng bánh bò nữa là được một loại hương vị khác hẳn. Cái mềm xốp của bánh bò khiến bánh tiêu – vốn hơi khô – trở nên dễ ăn hơn, đỡ ngán hơn. Các loại nhân ăn kèm bánh tiêu cũng khá phong phú, tùy sở thích mỗi người. Có người mách nhau kẹp xôi vào giữa, ăn cũng rất ngon, lại có thể thay quà sáng. Có người lại thích nhân “cadé”, là loại nhân làm bằng trứng gà có vị béo ngầy ngậy, rất hợp với bánh tiêu.
Translated and abridged:
[The vendor] scoops up some flour and sprinkles them on the shining flat wooden board, to keep the dough from sticking, then he pinches off a ball of fermented dough, gently pulls it and runs the rolling pin once over to stretch the ball into a thin strip. Then he grabs a sharp bamboo stick, swiftly cuts the strip into smaller, even strips. Putting two strips on top of each other, pressing a chopstick down in the middle, and he gets a “standard” piece of bánh quẩy ready to fry. For bánh tiêu, he would need to sprinkle a pinch of sesame seeds on the board, then flatten the dough into disks, one side studded with seeds, the other side having none.
[…]
Bánh quẩy and bánh tiêu are often sold together because they have similar dough. Mainly, flour and baking soda. For bánh quẩy, they add some salt to make it savory, but not too much that it would diminish the flour’s natural sweetness. But for bánh tiêu, they would add a pinch of sugar to boost that sweetness. Bánh tiêu doesn’t have to be as crunchy as bánh quẩy either. Its goodness lies in the sesames’ fragrant nuttiness. As bánh quẩy is often eaten with rice porridge or noodle soup, bánh tiêu goes with bánh bò. Slit the bánh tiêu open, stuff in a piece of the soft white honeycomb bánh bò, and you get a whole new snack. Some people substitute bánh bò with sweet sticky rice or with egg custard, that really fattens it up.
In Saigon, Vietnam: 1000 VND each.
At Bánh Mì Ba Lẹ, Oakland: 1 USD each. (1 USD ~ 20000 VND)
Address: Bánh Mì Ba Lẹ (East Oakland)
1909 International Blvd
Oakland, CA 94606
(510) 261-9800
Previously on Sandwich Shop Goodies: steamed taro cake (bánh khoai môn hấp)
Next on Sandwich Shop Goodies: Xôi khúc (cudweed sticky rice)
of course like your web site however you need to take a look at the spelling on several of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I in finding it very bothersome to inform the reality then again I’ll definitely come again again.
1Great line up. We will be linking to this great article on our site. Keep up the good writing.
2You are a very bright person!
3I am glad to be one of the visitants on this outstanding web site (:, thanks for posting.
4I was just searching for this information for a while. After six hours of continuous Googleing, at last I got it in your site. I wonder what’s the lack of Google strategy that don’t rank this kind of informative web sites in top of the list. Normally the top sites are full of garbage.
5I like this site because so much useful stuff on here :D.
6Having read this I thought it was very informative. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending way to much time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
7I love the efforts you have put in this, thank you for all the great blog posts.
8You have brought up a very fantastic details , thanks for the post.
9Thank you for sharing superb informations. Your web-site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you’ve on this site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found simply the information I already searched all over the place and just could not come across. What a great site.
10Appreciating the commitment you put into your blog and detailed information you offer. It’s great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same outdated rehashed material. Wonderful read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.
11Hiya very cool website!! Guy .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds alsoKI’m happy to search out so many useful information here within the submit, we want develop extra strategies in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
12My brother suggested I might like this web site. He was entirely right. This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine just how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
13Somebody essentially help to make seriously posts I would state. This is the first time I frequented your web page and thus far? I surprised with the research you made to create this particular publish incredible. Fantastic job!
14Great wordpress blog here.. It’s hard to find quality writing like yours these days. I really appreciate people like you! take care
15Hi, Neat post. There is an issue along with your site in internet explorer, may check this?K IE nonetheless is the market chief and a good component to other folks will omit your great writing due to this problem.
16I am continuously searching online for tips that can facilitate me. Thank you!
17Hey! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could locate a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having problems finding one? Thanks a lot!
18I visited a lot of website but I believe this one has got something special in it in it
19Wow! This can be one particular of the most beneficial blogs We have ever arrive across on this subject. Actually Excellent. I am also a specialist in this topic so I can understand your effort.
20Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was wondering your situation; many of us have developed some nice methods and we are looking to swap solutions with other folks, please shoot me an e-mail if interested.
21I’d need to check with you here. Which isn’t something I often do! I get pleasure from studying a post that can make individuals think. Additionally, thanks for allowing me to remark!
22hi!,I like your writing so so much! share we be in contact extra about your post on AOL? I need an expert in this house to unravel my problem. May be that’s you! Having a look ahead to peer you.
23Outstanding post, you have pointed out some excellent points, I as well think this s a very good website.
24As I web-site possessor I believe the content material here is rattling fantastic , appreciate it for your efforts. You should keep it up forever! Best of luck.
25I was studying some of your content on this site and I think this website is rattling instructive! Retain putting up.
26I’m impressed, I have to say. Actually hardly ever do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me inform you, you’ve gotten hit the nail on the head. Your idea is outstanding; the difficulty is something that not enough people are talking intelligently about. I am very glad that I stumbled throughout this in my search for something regarding this.
27You are my intake, I have few web logs and sometimes run out from to brand.
28I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here. The sketch is attractive, your authored material stylish. nonetheless, you command get bought an edginess over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again since exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this hike.
29Some really superb information, Gladiolus I observed this. “Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.” by Jalal ud-Din Rumi.
30Hello there! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this page to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!
31Very nice post and right to the point. I don’t know if this is in fact the best place to ask but do you people have any ideea where to get some professional writers? Thx 🙂
32I like this weblog very much, Its a very nice office to read and incur info . “You can never learn less, you can only learn more.” by Richard Buckminster Fuller.
33you are truly a good webmaster. The site loading speed is amazing. It kind of feels that you’re doing any unique trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterpiece. you have performed a magnificent process in this topic!
34Great post. I am facing a couple of these problems.
35I have been reading out some of your stories and i can state nice stuff. I will make sure to bookmark your site.
36Greetings! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading your blog posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same topics? Thank you!
37Hiya! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa? My blog goes over a lot of the same topics as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other. If you might be interested feel free to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Superb blog by the way!
38Definitely consider that which you said. Your favourite reason appeared to be at the web the easiest factor to understand of. I say to you, I certainly get irked whilst folks consider concerns that they just do not understand about. You controlled to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing with no need side-effects , other folks can take a signal. Will probably be again to get more. Thanks
39Really fantastic information can be found on blog.
40Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read anything like this before. So nice to find somebody with some original ideas on this subject. realy thank you for beginning this up. this web site is one thing that is wanted on the internet, someone with somewhat originality. helpful job for bringing one thing new to the internet!
41It is the best time to make some plans for the long run and it’s time to be happy. I have read this submit and if I may just I desire to counsel you few interesting issues or advice. Perhaps you could write next articles regarding this article. I wish to read even more things about it!
42very nice post, i certainly love this web site, carry on it
43Hello my family member! I wish to say that this post is awesome, nice written and come with almost all important infos. I would like to see extra posts like this .
44I simply wanted to post a small note in order to thank you for all of the nice secrets you are sharing on this site. My time-consuming internet search has finally been recognized with good details to talk about with my best friends. I would believe that many of us website visitors are definitely fortunate to live in a remarkable place with so many awesome individuals with helpful advice. I feel rather happy to have discovered your web page and look forward to tons of more entertaining minutes reading here. Thanks a lot again for all the details.
45I have been exploring for a little for any high-quality articles or blog posts on this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this website. Reading this information So i am satisfied to show that I’ve an incredibly just right uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I so much undoubtedly will make certain to don’t put out of your mind this web site and give it a glance on a relentless basis.
46I just could not go away your website before suggesting that I extremely loved the usual info a person supply to your visitors? Is gonna be again steadily in order to inspect new posts.
47I will immediately grasp your rss feed as I can not to find your e-mail subscription link or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please allow me recognize so that I may subscribe. Thanks.
48Hello my friend! I wish to say that this post is awesome, nice written and include approximately all vital infos. I would like to see more posts like this.
49Its good as your other posts : D, regards for posting.
50