Vietnamese National Dishes

Bánh cống — crisp Sóc Trăng mung-bean and shrimp fritters

Name: Bánh cống — crisp Sóc Trăng mung-bean and shrimp fritters
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 120 min
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 220 g rice flour; 30 g soy flour; 20 g tapioca starch; 420 ml cold water; 5 g fine salt; 1 g ground turmeric; 20 g scallions, thinly sliced; 100 g dried split mung beans; 250 g ground pork, about 85% lean; 30 g shallot, finely minced; 5 g garlic, finely minced; 10 ml fish sauce; 1 g black pepper; 15 ml neutral oil for cooking the pork; 8 raw medium shrimp, peeled except the tail and deveined; 30 ml fish sauce; 30 ml fresh lime juice; 90 ml water; 25 g granulated sugar; 5 g garlic, finely minced; 1 fresh chili, thinly sliced; 1 g fine salt; 1.5 L neutral high-heat frying oil; 200 g lettuce leaves; 80 g mixed fresh herbs such as mint, Vietnamese coriander and perilla

Bánh cống are small, tall fritters with a crisp, airy rice shell, tender mung beans, seasoned pork and a whole shrimp perched on top. In Sóc Trăng they are served hot with lettuce, fresh herbs and nước chấm. This version pre-cooks the ground pork before it goes into the mold, so you can verify its safe temperature directly; each fritter then fries until deeply golden and crisp.

Vietnamese National Dishes

Wide table with Sóc Trăng bánh cống, greens and dipping sauce

Yield 8 fritters

Cook 40 minutes

Passive 45 minutes for mung-bean soaking (batter rests while beans cook)

Total 2 hours

Calories About 620 kcal per serving

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Bánh cống — crisp Sóc Trăng mung-bean and shrimp fritters

Bánh cống is associated with Sóc Trăng in the Mekong Delta. Its name comes from the cylindrical mold used to fry the cakes. Regional descriptions vary: rice flour and mung beans are common, while recipes may add soy flour, taro or potato, bean sprouts, minced pork and one or two shrimp. Sóc Trăng accounts describe a golden, airy cake served with local greens and sweet-sour fish sauce. The area's food reflects Kinh, Khmer and Hoa cultural exchange, so this recipe avoids claiming a single exclusive origin.

This home version makes eight small cakes from rice, soy and tapioca flours. Split mung beans are cooked until tender, ground pork is seasoned and cooked to a verified safe temperature before filling the mold, and one whole shrimp sits on each fritter. The mold is filled only partway so the batter has room to puff and the oil has room to circulate. Serve the cakes as soon as they drain; their shell is crispest while hot.

Practical

Keys to successSoak and cook mung beans until tender, then drain them very well so the batter does not get watery. Cook ground pork to 71.1°C / 160°F before adding it to the mold. Dry the mold, pot and utensils completely before they go near hot oil. Heat oil to 170–175°C / 338–347°F and fry just one or two molds at a time. Fill each mold to about two-thirds, add one shrimp on top and lower it slowly into the oil.

Ingredients

Batter

220 g rice flour
30 g soy flour
20 g tapioca starch
420 ml cold water
5 g fine salt
1 g ground turmeric
20 g scallions, thinly sliced

Filling and topping

100 g dried split mung beans
250 g ground pork, about 85% lean
30 g shallot, finely minced
5 g garlic, finely minced
10 ml fish sauce
1 g black pepper
15 ml neutral oil for cooking the pork
8 raw medium shrimp, peeled except the tail and deveined

Nước chấm

30 ml fish sauce
30 ml fresh lime juice
90 ml water
25 g granulated sugar
5 g garlic, finely minced
1 fresh chili, thinly sliced
1 g fine salt

For frying and serving

1.5 L neutral high-heat frying oil
200 g lettuce leaves
80 g mixed fresh herbs such as mint, Vietnamese coriander and perilla

Method

Rinse the mung beans, cover with cool water and soak for 45 minutes. Drain, then steam or simmer covered in fresh water for 15–20 minutes until tender but still holding their shape. Drain very well and cool. Do not leave soaked beans at room temperature beyond this preparation period.
Whisk rice flour, soy flour, tapioca starch, 5 g salt and turmeric. Gradually whisk in 420 ml water until smooth; stir in scallions and rest the batter for 20 minutes. It should coat a spoon but still pour. Stir before filling each mold.
Keep raw shrimp refrigerated and separate from greens. Pat dry. Heat a skillet over medium heat with 15 ml neutral oil; cook shallot and garlic for 1 minute. Add ground pork, 10 ml fish sauce and pepper. Break it into small pieces and cook until a thin-tip thermometer reads 71.1°C / 160°F. Transfer to a clean plate and cool slightly.
Stir 30 ml fish sauce, lime juice, 90 ml water, sugar, 5 g garlic, chili and 1 g salt until the sugar dissolves; refrigerate if it will wait more than 2 hours. Set lettuce and herbs on clean serving plates. Place a wire rack over a tray beside the stove. Ensure the cống mold, pot and utensils are completely dry. Add 1.5 L oil to the heavy pot only if it remains below halfway; leave room for the mold and batter. Heat to 170–175°C / 338–347°F and monitor throughout. Keep the pot stable and never leave hot oil unattended.
Dip the dry mold into the hot oil for 30 seconds to preheat. Lift it and let excess oil drip back. Add a thin layer of batter, about 1 tablespoon cooked mung beans and 1 tablespoon pork, then cover with batter to about two-thirds full. Place one shrimp on top with its tail visible. Do not overfill the mold.
Lower the mold slowly into the oil, keeping the handle pointed away from you. Fry one or two cakes at a time, maintaining 170–175°C / 338–347°F, for about 7–9 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to release the cake from the mold if needed. If the oil smokes, turn off the heat and leave the pot in place until safe; never add water to hot oil.
Lift the mold and cake from the oil with long-handled tools. Check that a representative shrimp is firm, pearly and opaque and that the cake's center is piping hot. Drain cakes on the wire rack. Let the mold reheat in the oil before filling the next cake. Repeat with the remaining batter, mung beans, pork and shrimp.
Serve two cakes per person with lettuce, herbs and nước chấm. Break off pieces and wrap them with greens. Refrigerate cooked cakes and filling within 2 hours; reheat cakes in a 190°C / 375°F oven until hot and crisp.

Practical

Practical guidance

Prepare the mung beans and pork ahead, then fry the cakes close to serving time. If you do not have a traditional cống mold, use a purpose-made stainless-steel fritter mold with a long handle; do not improvise with a short-handled utensil. Dry the mold before each dip in hot oil. Keep the lettuce and herbs chilled until serving.

Troubleshooting

Fritter sticks in the mold: Preheat the dry mold in the oil and make sure the first batter layer covers its inside surface. Crust is pale or soft: Let the oil recover to 170–175°C / 338–347°F between batches and avoid overcrowding. Batter leaks from the mold: Fill only about two-thirds full and lower the mold slowly. Shrimp curls or cooks unevenly: Pat it dry, place it flat on top and keep the tail above the batter. Fritter browns before the center is hot: Lower the oil temperature slightly and fry in smaller cakes; the pork filling should already be cooked through.

FAQ

Can I make the filling ahead? Yes. Cook the pork to 71.1°C / 160°F, cool it promptly and refrigerate it. Steam the mung beans ahead too, then keep both chilled until filling the molds. Can I use taro or potato? Some regional versions use taro or potato. This recipe uses mung beans as its main filling; changing the vegetables also changes the amount of batter each mold holds, so add only a small amount and keep the mold about two-thirds full. What can I use instead of a cống mold? A purpose-made long-handled stainless-steel fritter mold is the closest option. The tall shape is part of the cake's style; avoid short-handled improvised tools over hot oil.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size2 fritters with one quarter of the greens and dipping sauce
CaloriesAbout 620 kcal
Carbohydrate61 g
Protein31 g
Fat28 g
Fibre6 g
SodiumAbout 1,050 mg

Allergens and safety

Contains soy (soy flour), crustaceans (shrimp) and fish (fish sauce). Check labels for additional allergens and cross-contact. Keep raw shrimp chilled and away from ready-to-eat greens. Cook ground pork to 71.1°C / 160°F, measured with a thin-tip thermometer, before filling the molds. Use a stable heavy pot, dry mold and tools, maintain the oil at 170–175°C / 338–347°F, fry small batches, and supervise hot oil continuously. Keep oil below halfway to allow room for displacement; never add water to hot oil. Wash hands and clean food-contact surfaces. Refrigerate cooked cakes and pork filling within 2 hours and reheat until hot and crisp.

Finish the dish

Put extra lettuce and herbs on the table so everyone can wrap the crisp fritters.
Serve nước chấm in small bowls and bring the cakes out while their shells are still crisp.

Bánh cống — crisp Sóc Trăng mung-bean and shrimp fritters

Practical

Ingredients

Batter

Filling and topping

Nước chấm

For frying and serving

Method

Practical

Practical guidance

Troubleshooting

FAQ

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and safety

Finish the dish

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