Sunday, October 19, 2008

Vietnamese Flan (Bánh gan)


Being used to making crème caramel with only 4 eggs, I was surprised to see that this Vietnamese Flan recipe from my $3 cookbook from Vietnam was calling for 7 eggs. But I recall, from my younger years, eating delicious Vietnamese Flans having a predominant “eggy” taste and denser texture - in a very succulent way and not in an “omelet” kind of way.

It’s a nice and cool dessert with a hint of 4 spices that you’ll never find in the well known crème caramel. Cinnamon, cloves, anise and ginger create a unique aroma to this traditional Vietnamese sweet. It adds an interesting “exotic” twist to this very much French-influenced dessert.

A silkier texture like the traditional ‘crème caramel’ can also be attained by adding more coconut milk. So, in this recipe you can use 1 whole can of coconut milk (400ml) and an extra egg (8 instead of 7). I love preparing it that way.
Preparation: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

Recipe “au pif”:
7 eggs (or 8 eggs)
1 cup good quality coconut milk (or 1 whole can, 400ml coconut milk)
2/3 cup dark brown sugar or raw cane sugar (or more to taste)
¼ tsp each of powdered cinnamon, anise, cloves (you can crush them in a mortar)
1 tsp ginger juice (using garlic press)
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven at 350F.

Melt sugar in coconut milk over medium high heat in a medium sized sauce pan and boil for about 15 minutes. Add spices, ginger juice and baking soda. Whip with whisk for about 1 minute.

Remove mixture from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Add slightly beaten eggs in a steady stream and beat the mixture until smooth with whisk.

Pour through fine strainer into a preheated greased loaf pan 8” x 3” x 4”. You can use the silicone baking dish which I find fantastic because cakes come out so easily. No greasing required.

Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes (in convectional oven), or 30-40 minutes in regular oven.

Remove from oven and let the cake stand for at least 15 minutes for it to cool before removing from pan.

Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Serves 6 people.

4 comments:

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

7 eggs, that's a lot. Looks good.

QlinArt said...

Hello Helene,
Thanks for the comment. It is a lot of eggs, but it's a dessert to share with others ;), even if it's a great treat that can be eaten by one person, so much it is good.

Cakespy said...

This looks amazing. I love how rich and delicious it looks!

eatingclubvancouver_js said...

I've never had Vietnamese flan before but the addition of those spices make it a must-try. Looks yummy!