Banh Gio is a savory breakfast food traditionally wrapped in leaves or aluminum foil, steamed, and eaten with nouc mam (fish sauce). My grandmother updated her banh gio recipe to exclude steaming and include microwaving after listening to a Vietnamese radio program where this shortcut was introduced.
For pork filling (gio)
- ½ pound ground pork
- 1/8 pound dried Wood Ear mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons nouc mam
For banh
- 1 cup corn starch
- 3 cups cold water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Prepare pork filling
If using dried mushrooms, reconstitute in warm water until softened. Slice mushrooms into thin, small pieces and set aside. Sauté ground pork in a saucepan over medium heat and season with salt, pepper, and nouc mam. Add mushrooms to pork and cook until pork is well-done and all liquid has been absorbed.
Prepare banh
In a different saucepan, combine cornstarch, water, salt, and vegetable oil over medium/high heat. Constantly stir the mixture until thickened (approximately 10 minutes) and remove from heat. When you take it off the heat, the banh should be white and able to hold stiff peaks.
Assembling and cooking banh gio
Fill 1/3 of a microwave-safe bowl with the banh mixture, followed by a layer of pork, and another layer of banh. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for 2.5 minutes. Repeat for the remainder of the banh and pork filling. Serve with nouc mam either in the bowl as is or inverted as pictured above.
Makes 4 servings.
