I went for 8 years of my life before ever discovering bánh tiêu (pronounced bon tew), my husband went for 23 years before discovering Vietnamese food, this just boggles me. If you’re reading this and have never heard of it before, you’re welcome; you no longer have to live without bánh tiêu. Bánh tiêu is fried dough with sesame seeds. Asians aren’t big on sweets, and true to its origins bánh tiêu is mildly sweet but still super delicious. On my first trip to Vietnam I declared that bánh tiêu was the tastiest bread of Vietnam, little me was onto something great. What’s so special about it? The husband and I can’t quite put our finger on it but I think he puts it best, “fried doughy goodness with sesame”. Today I elevated this simple sweet bread to a new level with a simple addition…
Ice cream. Did I mention bánh tiêu is hollow? I gently tore the bánh tiêu in half and stuffed it with ice cream. IT WAS GOOD. Fried doughy goodness with cool creamy ice cream. It doesn’t have to stop there, coconut ice cream with coconut shavings? Nutella? Durian (if you’re into that, not I)? But for today the vanilla ice cream just hit the spot. Another beautiful harmony of Vietnamese and western cuisine has been born.
Bánh Tiêu À la Mode
1. Make or buy bánh tiêu (I purchased mine from Bánh Mì DC Sandwich)
2. Gently tear in half with your hands or a knife
3. Stuff with ice cream or filling of choice
4. Try to keep the noise down while you savor the goodness
This is my entry to Delicious Vietnam, a monthly blogging event celebrating Vietnamese cuisine created by Anh of A Food Lovers Journey and Ravenous Couple. This month’s host is Nam Nguyen at The Culinary Chronicles. For instructions on how you can participate, visit the Delicious Vietnam information page.
Related links:
Bánh Mì DC Sandwich - 3103 Graham Road Falls Church, VA 22042-2505 - (703) 205-9300
If you want to try making it Javaholic and Momofukufor2 have recipes
Gastronomyblog encountered an interesting twist on bánh tiêu in the streets of Vietnam
