Clear Dumpling Wrapped in Banana Leaf - Banh Bot Loc La"

We love trying new things an at our parish St. Anne's, there's a new priest from Vietnam, he is really nice and has been pampering us with treats from his culture which we love! since we get to try their authentic food (ill share more on those later) he knows we are foodies and like to try new things.

This time he gave us a bunch of little square mystery things wrapped in banana leafs, we asked but his only info was that he normally just wraps them up in paper towels and places them in the microwave... we did that and I totally hated the sticky and the taste but my hubs seemed to loved it (I was also a bit paranoid of not knowing what was in it... could have totally be shrimp wrapped in monkey brains, we didn't know lol) the next day for lunch we decided to prepare the rest (and I would give it another try) but this time steaming them. Well that made ALL the difference, this time they were really good and delicious!!! 

One had a white spot in the dough and we started wondering if we were eating them raw, if they were supposed to be white or actually clear (turns out the white was raw... so we were eating them right lol) naturally we had to google this mystery food, its called Banh Bot Loc Laand, after a while we ran into this video that explained how they are made and the recipe - click HERE

Let me just say his sister (the cook) is very very talented they are complicated to make but this were perfectly square and delicious.



Now a bit of history on this food:
its a specialty from central Vietnam, it originated from Hue city
They were originally made for the Emperor and its consider a luxury food (I feel special after getting to try it ... like royalty)
Its made from tapioca flour which gives it a chewy consistency (different from other dumplings) and filled with pork and shrimp and the banana leaf gives it a sweet aroma (unless you stick it in the microwave and then it tastes like you've been punched in the face with a banana leaf)
I read that when you go to Vietnam the best food is not in restaurants but the street vendors because they focus on one or two things and they make it really well 

hopefully one day well be writing a review from there and tell you about the street carts but for now well keep writing from our lil' town

here is another site with recipes and info about Vietnam
Other recipes from Vietnam