Banh can is cooked in a clay mould pierced with round wells and set over charcoal. Rice batter goes into each well, a lid goes on, and a few minutes later the cakes are done — crisp underneath, airy and moist inside.
Quail egg is the usual addition, or shrimp or squid depending on the stall. Out of the mould, the cakes are pressed together in pairs and eaten straight away while hot.
The dipping sauce decides everything. In Nha Trang the standard is fish sauce cut with shredded green mango, sour and salty in balance; some places serve fermented anchovy sauce or braising liquid instead. Pork meatballs and spring-onion oil come alongside.
Don’t confuse banh can with banh khot — banh khot is fried in oil, while banh can is cooked dry in clay.