Recipe For Vietnamese Dumplings

Bánh Bôt Loc are Vietnam’s crystal shrimp and pork dumplings you NEED in your life! This dish is a complete texture wonderland – each dumpling is boiled until the skin’s super silky and springing with an ultra satisfying chew. Dip them into a sweet, savory and zesty sauce for the full experience!

I still remember the first time I tried Bánh Bôt Loc from a local Vietnamese vendor, where these delicate little pockets were filled with a delightful pork and shrimp filling. So unassuming, yet perfectly balanced in flavor and texture. After my first bite, I wondered where they had been all my life!

Luckily for me at the time, the recipe was only one ask away from one of the best home cooks I know – Dad’s eldest sibling, my Aunty. Everything she makes is delicious, and her Thạch Dừa (Vietnamese Coconut Jelly) and Bì Chay (Vegetarian Shredded Pork) are a testimony to that.

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But fast forward a few years later when I decide to make them on my own, her original recipe is nowhere to be found!

It was at that moment that I began my quest, determined to perfecting the Vietnamese dumplings that stole my heart all those years ago.

The beauty of using tapioca starch is that it creates a chew so satisfying, you won’t stop at just one. If you’ve ever had our Chicken Tapioca Noodle Soup (Bánh Canh Gà) or its crab or vegetarian equivalent, you’ll know

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It’s really difficult to capture how wonderfully textural Bánh Bôt Loc is from just photos alone. You have to try it for yourself to experience how each dumpling slides effortlessly into your mouth, smooth like silken wonton sheets.

The wrapping has a soft spring, teasing you to keep on chewing until you reach the center. It’s there that you’ve found the jewels to this treasure – delicious shrimp and pork gems springing with flavor.

The shrimp shell for Bánh Bôt Loc can be kept on or off, depending on what you like. If you’re planning to keep the shells on for added texture, go for the small school prawns as we use in our Tôm Rim Thịt (Vietnamese Caramelized Shrimp and Pork) so they’re easier to fill the dumplings with.

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You can find annatto seed oil from Asian supermarkets or make your own using our Bánh Canh Cua (Crab Tapioca Noodle Soup) recipe.

I’ve tried a few brands using the same recipe, but oddly enough, different brands will yield different results. The brand I had the most success with was the tapioca starch from

Would knead into a dough but when I used other brands, the mixture would have the wet texture of potato or corn starch mixed with water.

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Everything is to be added to taste. The chicken bouillon powder is entirely optional, but I find that it gives more flavor.

Marinate the pork belly with 1/2 tbsp annatto seed oil, 1/2 clove chopped garlic, 1/2 chopped red shallot, 1/4 tbsp white pepper, 1/4 tbsp chicken bouillon powder, 1/4 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp paprika for 20 minutes.

Heat up a pan with 3 tbsp cooking oil on high heat and stir fry the marinated pork belly for 5 minutes or until 80% cooked, then add the marinate shrimp in to cook for 5 minutes or until both are cooked through.

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Pour 1 cup of the hot water onto the starch mixture and mix it well. The dough will be crumbly at first, but keep kneading until it begins to form a dry dough. Add the oil and knead through.

Slowly pour in the remaining hot water and knead it in until the starch has formed a smooth dough resembling the texture of playdough.

Roll the dough into a long log and divide it into smaller portions. Use your hands to roll the segments into balls. Keep the balls in a plastic bag so they don’t dry out.

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Note: The size of each ball depends on how big you want each Bánh Bôt Loc to be. Ours are roughly 1.5cm (0.6″) thick.

Take one ball out and flatten it using your palms. Then use your thumb and index finger to press the flattened dough until it is 10cm (4″) in diameter, or to preference.

Note: While foolproof, I find that using the hand pressed method yields a thicker wrap and you don’t get to see the filling as well as you would with a thinner wrapper. See the next step for how to solve this.

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To make the dough thinner, take each ball and roll it thin (roughly 2mm/0.08″ thick) using a rolling pin. Keep the unrolled balls in a plastic bag to stay moist and work in this fashion: roll, fill, seal, then start a new one and roll, fill seal.

Using a round cookie cutter or cup, cut out circles. Transfer the circles to a plastic bag so they don’t dry out. Fill and seal as you would for the hand pressed method.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the dumplings 5-10 at a time, depending on how big your pot is. Avoid overcrowding as this will reduce the cooking temperature.

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While the first batch is cooking, fill up a large bowl with cold water. As soon as the dumplings are cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer them into the cold water. This will help them become translucent.

Mix the scallions with the salt and chicken bouillon powder, then heat up the oil until you start to see it smoking. Pour the hot oil over the scallions to sizzle and stir until combined.

To serve, remove the dumplings from the cold water using a slotted spoon. Spoon some of the scallion oil over the top, then enjoy the Bánh Bôt Loc dipped in a Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nước Mắm)!

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I had this issue when I used a particular tapioca starch brand, despite following the same recipe. You can try changing brands (I had the most success with

We put our dumplings in cold water to help them become translucent, but if that doesn’t happen for you then it might be that the skin is still too thick. Also make sure to be using hot water when mixing it into the starch.

I’ve heard of families squeezing some lemon juice in the dough to help with getting it clear. That might be an option you would want to consider.

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If it’s too dry, it will run the risk of tearing. If I find it needs more moisture, I keep a cup of water next to me and dip my fingers in to get them slightly wet. Then it work it into each small dough ball to get it damp before I add the filing.

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Bánh Bôt Loc are Vietnam's crystal shrimp and pork dumplings. Each dumpling is boiled until the skin's silky and springing with a satisfying chew!

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Calories: 361 kcal | Carbohydrates: 61 g | Protein: 2 g | Fat: 13 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 14 mg | Sodium: 886 mg | Potassium: 67 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 2 g | Vitamin A: 31 IU | Vitamin C: 1 mg | Calcium: 7 mg | Iron: 1 mg

Tried this recipe? Tag me TODAY! If you recreated this authentic recipe, I’d love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @.Bánh Bột Lọc Chay- clear vegan dumplings from Vietnam. These transparent dumplings are made with tapioca flour and mung bean. They are delicious, chewy, fresh, and very light.

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A few years ago this search lead me to a very interesting vegan dumpling recipe from Vietnam called Bánh Bột Lọc Chay.

These dumplings look very unique and that inspired me to try them immediately. Their taste is also very unique and good. I am really pleased to find this recipe and now make them quite frequently.

Generally, these clear mung bean dumplings are made during the full moon and new moon day in Vietnam when most Buddhist monks eat only vegetarian food. They sometimes don’t even use garlic and onion but in this recipe, I have used shallots.

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Vietnamese cuisine is considered to be one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. It has very fresh flavors and is generally very light and delicious.

Yellow mung bean gets cooked very fast so you don't need to soak it. But if you soak it before cooking, the cooking process will be even faster.

Unfortunately no, not in this recipe. These dumplings cannot be made with any other flour. The transparent and chewy skin can be made only with tapioca starch.

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These clear dumplings are kept in ice-cold water for a few minutes after boiling which makes them translucent. So, they are served cold. You don’t need to heat them after taking them out of the ice water.

Bánh Bột Lọc Chay has very subtle flavors