Pandan Rice Cake is an interesting dessert made with rice flour and pandan leaves, the two native ingredients of Vietnam. The slightly chewy and jiggly texture, combined with the pleasant fragrance of pandan leaves, makes pandan rice cake a delightful dish to try when exploring Vietnamese cuisine.

What is Pandan Rice Cake?

Pandan Rice Cake, or Bánh đúc lá dứa in Vietnamese, is a traditional Vietnamese dessert that is made from rice flour and flavored with pandan leaves, which give it a green color and a unique aroma. It is a popular treat during Vietnamese festivals and special occasions, as well as an everyday snack for those who appreciate its unique taste and texture. It can be found at local markets and street food stalls.

To make pandan rice cake, the rice flour is mixed with water to form a smooth, thick batter, which is then steamed until it solidifies. Once the rice cake is set, it is typically cut into small pieces and served with a variety of toppings and sauces. Common toppings include shredded coconut, sesame seeds, roasted peanuts, and coconut milk.

The use of pandan leaves not only gives the rice cake its distinctive green color but also imparts a pleasant, fragrant flavor to the dish. From pandan leaves, we’ll blend them to make pandan juice/extract, which we will use not only to color the cake green but also to enhance its flavor and fragrance. Pandan juice and pandan extract are key ingredients for coloring and adding aroma in Southeast Asian cuisine. I incorporated them into numerous dessert and beverage recipes, mung bean milk, mung bean milk tea or glutinous rice balls (che troi nuoc).

Ingredients

Each piece of pandan rice cake consists of green layers made from starch and pandan juice, as well as white layers made from starch and coconut milk. Regarding the type of starch used in the dish, in Northern Vietnam, rice starch is primarily used, while in the South, tapioca starch or a combination of tapioca starch and rice starch are also popular choices. Regardless of the type of starch used, the cake is still commonly referred to as pandan “rice” cake because it has become a familiar and traditional name for the dish.

For a small pandan rice cake for 4 people, do prepare:

Pandan juice mixture

Pandan juice: 400ml water + 40g pandan leaves
200g (7 oz) rice starch/tapioca starch
¼ tsp of salt
30g (2 tbsp) sugar
30g (2 tbsp) cooking oil

Coconut milk mixture

200g (7 oz) coconut milk
100g (3.5oz) rice starch/tapioca starch
15g (1 tbsp) cooking oil
15g (1 tbsp) sugar
1 pinch of salt

Additionally, you will need a steamer and a mold. The mold can be round, rectangular, or square, made of metal or silicone, provided it is safe for steaming.

How to make Vietnamese Pandan Rice Cake (Banh Duc La Dua)

To make Bánh đúc lá dứa (Pandan Rice Cake), follow these steps:

Step 1. Making Pandan Juice

Wash the pandan leaves thoroughly to remove any dirt. Cut them into smaller pieces, around 2-3 inches long. Then, blend them with water and filter to obtain the green juice.

Step 2. Mixing pandan mixture and coconut milk mixture

Combine the pandan mixture and the coconut extract mixture, ensuring they are well mixed. Allow these batters to rest for at least half an hour to let the flavors meld and the starch fully hydrate. After resting, give the batter another good stir to make sure it’s well-mixed.

Step 3. Steaming the pandan rice cake

Prepare your cake mold by greasing it with some oil to make it easier to remove the cake later. Also, set up your steamer with boiling water. Place the cake mold in the steamer and heat it up.
Turn on medium heat and wait until the water starts to evaporate. Pour the prepared batter into the heated mold, alternating one spoonful of pandan mixture and one spoonful of coconut mixture. Close the lid and wait for 3-5 minutes for the first layer to steam and become partially firm, then continue with the 2nd, 3rd, 4th… layers until you have used up all the batter. The total time to fill the mold and steam the cake over the boiling water is about 20-30 minutes.

To test if it is fully cooked, use a toothpick. Insert a toothpick into the cake. If the toothpick comes out without any cake batter, it means the cake is done.

Step 4. Serving

Once the cake is cooked, remove it from the steamer and allow it to cool for a bit. After it has cooled slightly, you can cut the pandan rice cake into your desired shapes, typically squares, rectangles, or diamonds. Serve with toppings such as shredded coconut, sesame seeds, roasted peanuts, or more coconut milk. Enjoy!

Storing Pandan Rice Cake

Because this is a fresh cake, you should consume it all within 2 days. Always store it in the fridge and store the cake and the toppings separately. Coconut milk should be refrigerated, while roasted peanuts and white sesame seeds are better kept in an airtight box at room temperature to maintain their crispiness.

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Pandan Rice Cake (Vietnamese Banh Duc La Dua)

Pandan Rice Cake is an interesting dessert made with rice flour and pandan leaves, the two native ingredients of Vietnam.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: banh duc la dua, pandan rice cake, vietnamese pandan rice cake

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 1

Servings:

Calories: 320kcal

Author: Anh Truong