Name: Bánh bao bánh vạc — Hội An White Rose dumplings
Prep time: 75 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 130 min
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 300 g plain rice flour, not glutinous rice flour; 60 g tapioca starch; 360 ml boiling water, plus up to 15 ml more only if the dough stays crumbly; 3 g fine salt; 5 ml neutral oil; 180 g raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely chopped; 5 g garlic, finely minced; 10 g scallion white, finely minced; 5 ml fish sauce; 0.5 g ground white pepper; 2 g sugar; 120 g raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely chopped; 100 g lean ground pork; 25 g rehydrated wood-ear mushroom, squeezed dry and finely chopped; 20 g shallot, finely minced; 8 ml fish sauce; 0.5 g ground white pepper; 5 ml neutral oil; 45 ml fish sauce; 60 ml warm water; 30 ml lime juice; 25 g sugar; 5 g garlic, finely minced; 5 g red chili, finely sliced, optional; 40 g fried shallots; 1 teaspoon neutral oil for the steamer surface

Wide table view of Hội An White Rose dumplings with fried shallots, dipping sauce, lime and chili — A shared plate of bánh bao bánh vạc with nước chấm, lime and chili at the side.

Yield 4 servings, 36 dumplings

Cook time 40 minutes

Passive time 15 minutes

Total time 2 hours 10 minutes

Calories about 560 kcal per serving

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Bánh bao bánh vạc — Hội An White Rose dumplings

Bánh bao bánh vạc is commonly served as a pair: a shrimp-filled open dumpling and a second shape with a richer shrimp-pork filling. The thin rice wrappers turn glossy in the steamer, while fried shallots add a crisp, aromatic finish and nước chấm balances the savory filling. The exact family techniques are closely held, so this is a practical home approximation rather than a claim to reproduce a private formula or the special well-water tradition sometimes associated with the wrappers.

Practical

Tips for successMeasure the rice flour and tapioca starch by weight; the starch helps the wrappers become flexible and translucent. Keep the dough covered with a damp towel. Rice dough can dry and crack while you shape. Cook and cool the pork-shrimp filling before wrapping so it is easier to handle and does not warm the dough. Make one test dumpling first. If its wrapper splits, knead a little more hot water into the dough and keep it covered. Steam in uncrowded batches and add fried shallots only just before serving.

Ingredients

Rice dough

300 g plain rice flour, not glutinous rice flour
60 g tapioca starch
360 ml boiling water, plus up to 15 ml more only if the dough stays crumbly
3 g fine salt
5 ml neutral oil

Shrimp bánh bao filling

180 g raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely chopped
5 g garlic, finely minced
10 g scallion white, finely minced
5 ml fish sauce
0.5 g ground white pepper
2 g sugar

Shrimp-pork bánh vạc filling

120 g raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely chopped
100 g lean ground pork
25 g rehydrated wood-ear mushroom, squeezed dry and finely chopped
20 g shallot, finely minced
8 ml fish sauce
0.5 g ground white pepper
5 ml neutral oil

Dipping sauce and finish

45 ml fish sauce
60 ml warm water
30 ml lime juice
25 g sugar
5 g garlic, finely minced
5 g red chili, finely sliced, optional
40 g fried shallots
1 teaspoon neutral oil for the steamer surface

Method

Cook the bánh vạc filling: Heat 5 ml oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and wood-ear mushroom; cook for 2 minutes. Add 120 g shrimp, 100 g ground pork, 8 ml fish sauce and 0.5 g pepper. Stir-fry for 4–6 minutes, until the pork reaches 71°C and the shrimp is opaque. Spread on a plate and refrigerate promptly while you prepare the dough.
Mix the shrimp filling: Combine 180 g shrimp, garlic, scallion, 5 ml fish sauce, 0.5 g pepper and 2 g sugar. Cover and refrigerate.
Scald and rest the dough: Whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch and salt in a heatproof bowl. Pour in 360 ml boiling water while stirring with chopsticks until shaggy. When cool enough to handle, knead in 5 ml oil for 4–5 minutes until smooth. If dry cracks remain, knead in up to 15 ml more boiling water. Cover with a damp towel and rest for 15 minutes.
Shape 36 wrappers: Divide the dough into 36 equal pieces and keep them covered. Roll one piece into a ball and press it into a thin 7 cm disc, leaving the center a little thicker. Fill 18 discs with about 1 teaspoon shrimp filling and gather the edges into an open flower. Fill the remaining 18 with about 1 teaspoon cooled shrimp-pork filling and pleat closed into crescents. Place on lightly oiled perforated parchment or cabbage leaves. Keep unused dough and shaped dumplings under the damp towel.
Steam in batches: Arrange dumplings apart in a steamer over actively boiling water. Cover and steam for 10–12 minutes, until wrappers look glossy and nearly translucent, shrimp is pearly and opaque, and pork is fully cooked. Check a test bánh vạc in the center with a thermometer; the pork filling must reach 71°C. Keep finished batches hot while steaming the rest.
Make the dip and serve: Stir the warm water and sugar until dissolved, then mix in fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and optional chili. Arrange the dumplings on a warm plate, sprinkle with fried shallots and serve immediately with the dip. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at or below 4°C; reheat until steaming hot, at least 74°C.

Practical

Serving, storage and substitutions

Serve the dumplings hot, with the dipping sauce alongside so the crisp shallots stay crisp. If rice flour dough is difficult to shape, round rice-paper sheets can form a convenient wrapper, but the result will be chewier and less delicate than this dough. Shape the rice-flour wrappers only as you are ready to steam them. Refrigerate any raw fillings while you work; leftovers should be chilled promptly and reheated until steaming.

Troubleshooting

The dough cracks at the edges: Keep it under a damp towel and knead in hot water a teaspoon at a time until pliable. Wrappers stay chalky: Steam a little longer; they should become glossy and nearly translucent. Dumplings stick to the steamer: Use lightly oiled perforated parchment or cabbage leaves and leave space between pieces. The filling leaks: Use a smaller teaspoon of filling and seal the pleats carefully; avoid overfilling. Shallots soften: Add them at the last moment and serve the dip separately.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between bánh bao and bánh vạc here? They are two related dumplings served together. This version makes open shrimp bánh bao and pleated bánh vạc with shrimp, pork and wood-ear mushroom. Can I prepare them ahead? The fillings can be cooked or mixed ahead and kept refrigerated. The wrappers are easiest to shape while warm and damp, so form and steam the dumplings close to serving time. Why are they called White Rose dumplings? The English nickname describes the delicate pale wrappers and petal-like pleats. It is a nickname, not a separate variety.

Nutrition per serving

These are approximate estimates for one-quarter of the recipe. Rice-flour brands, fish sauce and fried shallots, plus the amount of dipping sauce used, can change the values.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size9 dumplings with fried shallots and dipping sauce
Caloriesabout 560 kcal
Carbohydrate78 g
Protein27 g
Fat11 g
Fibre2 g
Sodiumabout 1,500 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains crustacean shellfish (shrimp) and fish (fish sauce). Check packaged fried shallots for wheat, soy or cross-contact. Keep raw shrimp and pork at or below 4°C and separate from dough tools and ready-to-eat garnishes. Wash hands and utensils after handling raw seafood or meat. Cook shrimp until pearly and opaque; cook the ground pork filling to at least 71°C, measured with a thermometer. Refrigerate cooked dumplings within 2 hours at or below 4°C and reheat leftovers to at least 74°C.

Bring them to the table warm

Serve the first batch as soon as it comes from the steamer.
Keep chili on the side so each diner can adjust the heat.

Bánh bao bánh vạc — Hội An White Rose dumplings

Practical

Ingredients

Rice dough

Shrimp bánh bao filling

Shrimp-pork bánh vạc filling

Dipping sauce and finish

Method

Practical

Serving, storage and substitutions

Troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

Bring them to the table warm

Vietnamese National Dishes

Bánh xèo Hội An (Crispy Vietnamese Rice Pancakes)

Bún chả cá Đà Nẵng (Central Vietnamese fish-cake noodle soup)

Bún mắm nêm (Da Nang fermented anchovy sauce vermicelli)