Banh nam Bánh nậm
A flat steamed rice dumpling in a banana leaf, filled with pork and shrimp and dipped in fish sauce, one of the small cakes of the Hue court kitchen.
Food tours Banh nam Search a food tour or a cooking class for this dish.
Search on KlookHistory
Vietnam Tourism says bánh nậm owes its origins to the imperial court: a flat steamed rice dumpling, pork and shrimp, wrapped in a banana leaf.
Why it matters
It belongs with the small steamed cakes of the former capital. Vietnam Tourism sets it beside bánh bèo as a snack you finish with a few drops of fish sauce.
Texture
The dumpling is a thin layer of rice flour, steamed until the sheet is flat and translucent, then folded in a banana leaf.
Taste
The filling is minced pork and shrimp. Vietnam Tourism also describes shrimp fried with garlic and scallion. The dip is fish sauce.
How to enjoy it
Dip the dumpling in fish sauce.
In Dong Hoi, bánh nậm is rice flour steamed 15–20 minutes, wrapped in lá dong, with a shrimp filling.
Where to try it
In Hue, eat it with the other small cakes.
In Dong Hoi the cake is the Quảng Bình one, wrapped in lá dong with shrimp.
In Da Nang, Con Market at 290 Hùng Vương sells bánh nậm (hall hours 06:00–19:00 on one listing; older listings differ).