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Bánh tiêu
Sesame doughnuts
Bánh tiêu: hollow, puffed Vietnamese sesame doughnuts
In Saigon and the Mekong towns, bánh tiêu are fried in big woks at the edge of the morning market and sold warm in paper bags, often torn open and filled with a stick of quẩy or eaten alongside soy milk. A soft, lightly sweet dough is rolled thin, coated with sesame and dropped into hot oil, where it balloons into a hollow, chewy round with a crackly seeded shell. The dough uses no egg or butter, so the doughnuts are vegan. Chef's tip: roll the rounds evenly thin and keep the oil hot; thick spots or a cool pan give you flat, oily discs that never puff.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- 2 ⅛ oz sugar
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 ⅜ oz white sesame seeds
- 1 litre oil for deep-frying
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 2 ⅛ oz sugar, 1 tsp instant yeast, 1 ½ tsp baking powder and ½ tsp salt in a bowl, add ¾ cup warm water and 1 tbsp neutral oil and knead for 8–10 minutes into a smooth, soft dough that springs back slowly when pressed.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size.
60 minStep 3: Knock back the dough, divide into 10 pieces and roll into balls. Cover and rest 15 minutes so the gluten relaxes.
20 minStep 4: Spread 1 ⅜ oz white sesame seeds on a plate. Roll each ball into an even 12 cm round about 3 mm thick, press both sides into the sesame and lay on a lightly floured tray.
10 minStep 5: Heat 1 litre oil for deep-frying in a wok to 350°F, when a scrap of dough rises and bubbles at once.
8 minStep 6: Fry one round at a time. As soon as it floats, keep spooning hot oil over the top until it puffs into a ball, then turn and fry until both sides are light golden.
2 minStep 7: Drain on kitchen paper and fry the rest, keeping the oil at 350°F. Eat warm, the same day.
18 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bánh tiêu take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 100 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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