Sesame Balls Recipe (Vietnamese Bánh Cam)

Filling (Nhân)

1. Rinse the mung beans under running water and drain, just like how you'd rinse rice.
2. Soak the mung beans. Add enough boiling water to cover 1/2" above the level of mung beans, let it cool and transfer to the fridge overnight. If you want to rush this process a bit you can drain after its cooled (about two hours, then repeat this process two more times).
3. Cook the mung beans. Using a steamer on medium heat is the easiest way to reach perfect doneness. You can also make it in a rice cooker with slightly more water than you would use to make rice, but you will lose some sticking to the pot. The beans are done when no longer crunchy, have softened and are ready to mash. This took me about 25 minutes with a stovetop steamer.
4. Combine the cooked mung beans with the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mash and add water if needed to achieve a paste similar to thick and slightly dry mashed potatoes.

Outer Shell (Vỏ)

1. Pour 1/2 of the water in a big bowl. Add the sugar and salt and mix to dissolve.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine (you can use a food processor if you want). The dough should be slightly dry and have a play dough consistency. Rest the dough a minimum 2 hours, ideally 8 for best results. It will slightly rise and hydrate after resting, making it easier to work with.

Forming The Bánh Cam

1. Flatten out a disk of the dough and add a ball of mung bean filling. The dough to filling ratio is up to you! I like about 1" in diameter, but you can make them bigger. Keep in mind they will slightly expand during cooking.
2. Try not to leave any air pockets inside, since the dough will already be expanding and adding air to the center. Close off the ball so there aren't any cracks.
3. Slightly roll in your hands to make a ball shape and then roll in a bowl of sesame seeds to coat thoroughly. Set aside for frying.

Frying

1. Heat a heavy pot with neutral cooking oil to around 285 F and deep fry the bánh cam. Makre sure not to crowd the pot. It should take about 11 minutes per batch. You may need to constantly move them around for even cooking.