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Bein mont
Bein mont (ဘိန်းမုန့်): thick, spongy rice-flour pancake with jaggery, coconut and peanuts
When the November nights cool down for the Tazaungdaing festival, food stalls outside pagodas in Yangon and Mandalay start cooking bein mont in small, lidded iron pans with embers piled on top, so the cake bakes from above and below at once. The batter is rice flour sweetened with dark jaggery, so it cooks into a thick, springy, brown pancake with a crisp base, studded on top with shreds of coconut and sliced peanuts; some vendors still scatter poppy seeds, the bein that may have given the snack its name. It is eaten warm in wedges with hot green tea. High heat is what usually goes wrong: the base scorches while the centre stays raw, so keep the flame low and the lid on. Chef's tip: a small cast-iron pan finished under the grill copies the charcoal top heat at home.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the batter
- 4 oz jaggery or dark palm sugarchopped
- 1 ½ cups water
- 7 oz rice flour
- 1 oz glutinous rice flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powdergluten-free if needed
For cooking and topping
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 ⅜ oz roasted peanutsthinly sliced or roughly chopped
- 1 tsp poppy seeds (optional)
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Warm 4 oz jaggery or dark palm sugar with 1 ½ cups water in a small pan over a low heat, stirring, for 4–5 minutes, until fully dissolved. Let cool until just warm.
5 minStep 2: Whisk 7 oz rice flour, 1 oz glutinous rice flour and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl, then whisk in the jaggery water to a smooth batter like thick pouring cream. Rest for 20 minutes so the flour hydrates.
20 minStep 3: Heat the grill to medium-high. Whisk 1 tsp baking powder into the batter until a few bubbles appear.
Step 4: Heat a 20 cm ovenproof cast-iron or heavy frying pan over a medium-low heat and brush with half the 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Pour in half the batter; it should be about 2 cm deep.
Step 5: Cover and cook over a low heat for 8–10 minutes, until the base is browned and crisp, small holes appear on top and the edges look set.
10 minStep 6: Scatter half the 1 oz fresh grated coconut (or desiccated, soaked in a little hot water), half the ⅔ oz roasted peanuts and half the 1 tsp poppy seeds over the top.
Step 7: Slide the pan under the grill for 3–4 minutes, until the top is set, springy when pressed and the coconut is lightly toasted.
4 minStep 8: Loosen the pancake, slide onto a board and cut into wedges. Repeat with the remaining 1 tbsp vegetable oil, batter, 1 oz fresh grated coconut (or desiccated, soaked in a little hot water) and ⅔ oz roasted peanuts.
14 minStep 9: Serve warm or at room temperature with green tea. It is best eaten the day it is made.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 55 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bein mont take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of jaggery or dark palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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