Bánh giò

Filling: 250 g ground pork; 1 shallot, minced; 8 g dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked and chopped; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Cook shallot in filling oil, add pork and mushrooms and cook thoroughly. Add fish sauce, sugar and pepper; cool. Soak mushrooms until flexible, discard tough bases and squeeze dry. Cook pork in crumbs to 71°C/160°F and cool promptly.

Batter: 200 g plain rice flour; 60 g tapioca starch; 1 L chicken stock; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Whisk batter ingredients cold in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring continuously until a thick, smooth paste forms; do not let it scorch. Whisk cold before heating and scrape continuously until paste holds a soft mound without dry lumps.

Place two leaf squares crosswise on a foil square. Fold into a cone, spoon in batter, add filling and cover fully with more batter. Fold leaves across the opening and secure the pyramid with foil. Blanch leaves until flexible, pat dry and make 8 parcels using two leaves each. Surround filling fully with batter and fold all openings closed.

Steam over boiling water 40-50 minutes. Open one to check that the rice paste is set and cooked, with no raw flour taste. Rest 10 minutes before unwrapping. Keep water below the basket, time from steady steam and check a set paste without a raw chalky middle. Rest before unwrapping.