Banh It Ram (Fried Sticky Rice Dumplings) Vietnamese Mochi Recipe

Banh It Ram (Fried Sticky Rice Dumplings)

Ingredients

Dough
1 (16oz)bag Glutinous Flour
Water
1/3 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. Sugar

Filling
3/4 cup Mung Bean
1/8 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 cup Dried Shrimp
5 Shallots (1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp. Oil
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp. Annato Seed Oil (optional)

Other Ingredients
Banana Leaves
Canola Oil
Scallion Oil

Dipping Fish sauce
Sugar (to taste)
Fish Sauce (to taste)
1/2 cup Water

First to make the dough you need to put 1 bag (16oz) of Glutinous Flour in a large bowl. Add in 1/3 tsp. Kosher Salt.
Add 1/2 tsp. Sugar.  Mix and add in some water.  Start with 1 cup and gradually add in more water as needed. You want to have a dough texture like this.
Divide the dough into about 2/3 and 1/3 portions.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 mins.

To make the filling you need to soak 3/4 cup Mung Bean and 1/2 cup Dried Shrimp for at least 4 hrs.
Rinse the Mung Bean a few times, put it into a large sauce pan.  Add enough water to cover over the Mung Bean. Add in 1/8 tsp. Kosher Salt.
Let it cook on medium-low heat until the water has been absorbed.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Drain out the Dried Shrimp and finely chop. Dice about 5 Shallots, you need about 1/2 a cup. In a pan, add in 3 Tbsp. Oil.
On medium heat, add in the diced Shallots. Saute until slightly brown. Scoop about 2 Tbsp. out, put into a small bowl and set aside.
Now the pan still has some sauteed Shallots in it. Add in some of the finely chopped Dried Shrimp.
Remember to save some aside because you will need that to make the Dried Shallots Topping later.
Add 1/2 tsp. Sugar, stir-fry the Dried Shrimp until cooked. Add it into the cooked Mung Bean.  Mix well and set aside.

Now to make the Dried Shrimp topping.  In a pan, add in the Sauteed Shallots you saved earlier and the rest of the finely chopped Dried Shrimp.
This is optional, but create a more orange color add in 1 tsp. of Annato Seed Oil.
Stir-fry and remove from heat.  You can also make scallion oil as topping, by chopping some green onions then put it in warm oil. Mix and set aside.

Cut Banana leaves about 3 by 3 squares.  Spread some Oil on it.  Using the 1/3 dough, take a piece and shape it into a patty.
Place it on the banana leaves.  The patty will slide off the banana leaves when you place it into the frying pan. Once you have about 6 patties.
In a large skillet, add in some Canola Oil to over the surface. Bring the oil to medium high heat.
Carefully add in the patties one by one to fry. When it's golden brown, remove from oil and place on paper towel.

Using the 2/3 dough you have left, take a piece and flatten it. Scoop some of the filling in and pinch the ends to form a ball.
Place on a small banana leaves  Repeat until you used up all the dough. Place in steamer, steam until cooked. It takes about 8-10 minutes.
Remove from steamer. Slide the steamed dumpling onto the fried patty. For the topping spread some Scallion Oil and the Dried Shrimp.
Repeat for each dumpling. To make the fish sauce to go with the dumplings.
In a sauce pan on medium low heat mix 1/2 cup Water, add in Fish sauce and Sugar to taste. Once it has combined remove from heat and let cool.
This is optional, but you can slice some chili pepper and add in some pickled carrot and daikon in your fish sauce.