Simmer the mung beans in water on medium-low heat for 30 minutes until the mung bean is soft and the water mostly absorbed. 15 Pandan (“Screwpine” or “Bay Thoy”) leaves (fresh or frozen).Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour (Koda Farms brand) Most of these ingredients can be found in an Asian supermarket (Vietnamese or Chinese), or online. The yellow layers are flavored with yellow (peeled split) mung bean. I do like to add a little bit of pandan extract to give a brighter green color to the Banh Da Lon, even when I’m using the real leaves. Pandan leaves have a very unique fragrance – similar to vanilla, but better! It is best if you use fresh leaves – you can make do with pandan extract alone – but the result won’t be quite as good. The green layers are flavored with pandan leaves ( Pandanus amaryllifolius) which can be purchased fresh or frozen from Vietnamese or Chinese markets. In texture, it’s almost like a layered jello with a slight mochi-like feel (not as chewy as mochi, but somewhere between mochi and jello). It’s not the same as Van’s… but I think it’s really good (if I do say so myself!), and am really happy with the results.īanh Da Lon is a steamed cake, made mostly from “tapioca starch” (or “tapioca flour” – it’s the same thing). BUT – I think the recipe that I finally figured out ( after so many attempts my husband doesn’t ever want to see or taste Banh Da Lon ever again) is pretty good in it’s own right. They must have a super secret method or recipe… and I just can’t duplicate it. Step 4: Fold the other end to meet it in the middle with it slightly overlapping the other end.One of my good friends has been bringing me Banh Da Lon (Vietnamese steamed layer cake) from her favorite bakery in Orange County for the past few months… since I was able to figure out Banh Bo Nuong (Vietnamese Honeycomb Cake), I know she really wants me to figure this one out too! I’ve tried… multiple times… and while I’m pretty happy with the results, I don’t think it will ever be exactly like the one she loves from Van’s Bakery in Westminster. Step 3: Fold one end of the dough to the middle of the oval. Step 2: After they’ve rested, start by rolling each dough ball into an oval shape. Step 1: Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into four equal parts and form them into balls. Yeast bread needs time to rise and for this pandan bread you will need to proof the dough twice (as well as some time for the dough to rest) – after you’ve kneaded the dough and a second time after you’ve formed the dough rolls, so plan ahead to allow enough time.At this point, keep stretching it until it breaks and when it does, the hole should form a perfect circle. You should be able to stretch it very thin to the point you can almost see through it. To be sure, test the bread’s elasticity by stretching it (this is called the “window pane” test). You will know the dough is ready when it is smooth, not too sticky, and elastic. For this type of bread, I use my stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead it for about 18-20 minutes. One of the tricky parts in making a yeast bread is knowing how long to knead it.This mixture is what gives the bread its soft and fluffy interior and it must be made ahead of time so it has time to cool. Before you make the dough you will need to make tangzhong, which is a flour and water mixture that is cooked to a certain temperature.I am submitting this recipe to Yeastspotting.Īll of the instructions for making pandan bread are in the printable recipe card below, but it’s helpful to see how you should work the dough to get the best results so here are some tips and step-by-step photos: The pandan taste ended up being pretty mild though even though I thought I used a tad too much extract.

I was a little worried after my disaster trying to create a purple sweet potato bread. And I like the pretty green (though there is food coloring added to the pandan paste to make it look like the colors of pandan leaves).

I’ve always found it hard to describe the taste of pandan, but I really love it. Instead, I’ve always used a pandan paste, which can be found at the grocery store.

You can make a pandan extract or paste with fresh pandan leaves, but I’ve never done this. Pandan is a common flavor used in Filipino, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Thai cuisine. After making my ham and cheese bread, I had enough tangzhong mixture left to make another loaf, so I decided to try making pandan bread.

Pandan in vietnamese