Hai Duong Mung Bean Cake, Vietnamese Mung Bean Cake, Green Bean Cake
This banh dau xanh recipe soaks split mung beans, steams them soft, then blends them with sugar and a little oil and dries the paste in the pan until it holds together. Pressed into small golden blocks, the cakes are dry and powdery on the outside and melt the moment they touch your tongue — the famous specialty of Hai Duong province, made to be eaten slowly with hot tea. One serving is about 70 g, two cakes.
Banh dau xanh is the signature sweet of Hai Duong province in northern Vietnam, made from mung beans, sugar and fat. It is said to have first appeared in the 1920s, when a Hai Duong family began pressing sweetened mung bean paste into small golden blocks, and it quickly became the gift every visitor carried home — neat, long-lasting and made for sharing over tea. The traditional recipe uses pork lard and pomelo flower water for fragrance; this version uses vegetable oil so the cakes stay vegetarian, with the same dry, powdery texture that melts on the tongue.
Pairs well with: Hot green tea, lotus tea & fresh fruit
Provenance
Vietnam
Hai Duong Classic
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
1h 10m
30m prep • 40m cook
Batch Yield
12 Servings
190 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 70 g
Technical Skill
Intermediate
Medium (Pressed)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Inappropriate
Dinner
Inappropriate
Snack & Tea
Ideal Light Bite
Hai Duong Classic
Photo: Hoangkid, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $0.50 per serving at home (USD)
A golden Hai Duong mung bean cake, dry and powdery, melting on the tongue with hot tea.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Beans Soaked, Mould Lined, Pan Ready
30 Mins active + 4 hrs soaking
Rinse the split mung beans and soak them in plenty of cold water for 4 hours, or overnight. Drain well. Line a small square mould or loaf tin with parchment paper, and have a wide, non-stick pan and a potato masher or food processor ready.
Maestro Tip: Do not skip the soak — dry beans steam unevenly and the paste turns gritty instead of smooth.
4 hours Room temperature water, about 22°C (72°F)
Rinse the beans in several changes of cold water, then cover with fresh cold water and soak for 4 hours, until they have swollen and split further. Drain well.
If you are short of time, soak in hot water for 2 hours instead.
Done when: The beans are swollen, pale and soft enough to crush between your fingers.
25 minutes Steaming temperature, 100°C (212°F)
Spread the drained beans in a steamer lined with cloth and steam over boiling water for about 25 minutes, until completely soft and crumbly. They should fall apart when pressed.
Spread the beans thinly so the steam reaches them all — a thick pile steams unevenly.
Done when: The beans are soft all the way through and crumble easily.
15 minutes Low heat, about 120°C (250°F)
Blend the hot beans with the sugar, salt and flower water until very smooth, then tip into a wide non-stick pan with the oil. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, for about 12–15 minutes, until the paste pulls away from the sides of the pan and holds its shape when pressed.
Keep the heat low and keep stirring — the paste scorches easily once it thickens.
Done when: The paste is smooth, dry enough to hold a shape, and pulls cleanly from the pan.
15 minutes Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
While the paste is still warm, press it firmly and evenly into the lined mould, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Press hard — loose packing is why cakes crumble when cut.
Wet the spoon lightly so it does not stick to the paste.
Done when: A firm, even block with a smooth top and no air pockets.
30 minutes Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Leave the block to cool and set for at least 30 minutes, then lift it out and cut into 24 small blocks, about 35 g each. Serve at room temperature with hot tea.
Cut with a thin, dry knife and wipe it between cuts for clean edges.
Done when: Clean-cut golden blocks that hold their shape and feel dry and powdery to the touch.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Arrange the golden blocks on a small plate and serve with a pot of hot green tea — take small bites and let each piece melt on your tongue before the next sip.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
190
kcal / serving
Protein
6g
Complete AA
Carbs
31g
Complex
Fats
5g
Healthy
| Energy | 190 kcal |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 31 g |
| Fat | 5 g |
| Fibre | 4.1 g |
| Sugar | 16.7 g |
| Sodium | 68 mg |
| Energy | 268 kcal |
| Protein | 8.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 43.3 g |
| Fat | 7.5 g |
| Fibre | 5.8 g |
| Sugar | 23.6 g |
| Sodium | 96 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Mung beans supply folate, magnesium, potassium and iron, and the cakes bring about 4.1 g of fibre per serving. All nutrition values are estimated.
Plant protein and fibre
Two cakes bring about 6.0 g of plant protein and 4.1 g of fibre from the mung beans, so this sweet snack is far more filling than it looks.
Naturally light on fat
With only about 5.3 g of fat per serving and no butter or cream, banh dau xanh is one of the lightest traditional sweets you can make.
Folate and minerals from beans
Mung beans bring folate, magnesium, potassium and iron to the table, so the cakes carry real nutrition along with their sweetness.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Drinks
Hot green tea
Bitter, fragrant green tea is the classic partner — it balances the sweetness of the cakes and the two flavours have been paired in Hai Duong for generations.
Lotus tea
Delicate lotus tea adds a floral note that matches the pomelo fragrance in the cakes without overpowering it.
Sides
Fresh pomelo segments
Juicy, slightly tart pomelo refreshes the palate between the dry, powdery cakes and echoes the flower water in the recipe.
Sesame candy
A small piece of crunchy sesame candy next to the soft cakes gives the tea table a contrast of textures that Vietnamese hosts love.
Complete menu
Serve banh dau xanh on a tea tray with hot green tea and fresh pomelo segments, as the sweet finish to a light Vietnamese meal.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Very sweet drinks
The cakes already carry about 16.7 g of sugar per serving. Sweetened tea, soft drinks or condensed-milk coffee on the side make the whole snack cloying and push the sugar far higher. This is general information, not medical advice — ask a clinician about your own sugar limits.
Damp storage
The cakes are meant to be dry and powdery. Storing them in a damp place or an unsealed bag makes them soft, sticky and quick to spoil.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
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Comfort & Sustained Energy
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WARNING: This dish is made from raw duck blood and eating it is NOT recommended. Raw blood can carry Streptococcus suis (which causes meningitis and sepsis — people in Vietnam have died after eating pig-blood tiet canh), avian influenza from duck blood, salmonella and other dangerous germs. Vietnam's Ministry of Health advises against eating tiet canh, and no preparation method — not even blood from a fresh or trusted source — makes raw blood fully safe. This page describes the traditional Hanoi preparation, tiết canh vịt, for cultural knowledge only. One serving is about 241 g: a small bowl of fresh duck blood mixed with fish sauce, poured over finely chopped cooked duck meat and left to set into a soft, trembling jelly, then finished with crushed roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, lime and chili, and served cold.
Cultural Discovery
A traditional northern Vietnamese snack of raw duck blood set into a soft jelly with cooked duck meat, herbs and peanuts — described here for cultural knowledge, with a serious safety warning.
