Bánh đúc nóng (Hanoi warm savory rice-flour cake)

Cover the dried wood-ear mushrooms with hot water and soak for 15 minutes, until pliable. Drain, squeeze out excess water and mince finely.

Whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch and salt in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in 800 ml cold water until smooth, then whisk in 10 ml oil. Rest for 10 minutes while the mushrooms soak; whisk once more before cooking.

Pour the batter into a heavy nonstick saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously and scraping the base and corners, for 15–20 minutes. As it thickens, lower the heat. Stop when it is smooth, glossy, translucent in places and soft enough to fall from a spoon in a heavy ribbon; keep warm.

Heat 15 ml oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped shallots and cook until fragrant and translucent, about 2–3 minutes. Add the ground pork and break it into small pieces. Stir in the minced mushrooms, 20 ml fish sauce and 1 g black pepper. Cook until no pink remains and the center of the pork reaches 71°C / 160°F, about 7–9 minutes; keep warm.

For the dressing, stir 35 g sugar into 150 ml warm water until dissolved. Add 45 ml fish sauce, 45 ml rice vinegar, 5 g minced garlic and the optional sliced chili. Warm gently in a small pan; do not boil it hard.

Spoon the hot, soft rice cake into four warm bowls. Top each with one quarter of the pork and mushroom mixture. Spoon warm dressing over the top, then add fried shallots and chopped coriander.

Serve immediately while the rice cake and topping are hot. If holding before serving, keep the rice cake and pork topping at 60°C / 140°F or hotter. Store any components separately.