It’s National Donut Day! Last year I waffled up some donuts for a delicious hybrid wonut (waffle-donut) and this year I decide to go with a donut that you’ve probably never seen before: banh tieu, a deliciously deep-fried Vietnamese donut. Banh tieu, for the uninitiated, are slightly sweet, puffy, hollow donuts that are sprinkled with a generous amount of nutty sesame seeds. Fresh out of the fryer, they just can’t be beat.

My very first banh tieu was while I was wandering the heart of Vancouver’s Little Saigon with my sister-in-law. Our tummies were already full from banh mi, but when I spotted some plastic bags filled with fried dough, my curiousity was piqued. We bought them, no surprise there! They were cold and just a touch on the oily side, but they were delicious in the way that deep fried dough is. As mediocre as I thought those banh tieu were, I saw the potential.

Later, I learned that good banh tieu are round, puffy, and slightly sweet with a hollow centre. Also, they taste phenomenal when they’re hot and fresh. After my store-bought banh tieu experience, I had the chance to try some fresh ones at my in-laws’ house. My mother-in-law is the bomb in the kitchen, but one thing she lets my father-in-law do is make donuts. She gets the heebie jeebies with yeast, so really, it’s the perfect arrangement.

Fresh banh tieu are out of this world. I must’ve eaten 5 or 6 and this was after a Vietnamese food feast. I should have had more though, because it was one of the few times that my father in law made them. It’s because he thinks they’re temperamental – the second time he made us donuts, they didn’t puff up. They were super delicious, but I think after all his talk about being a donut master, they didn’t live up to his standards. I’m pretty sure we just didn’t let the dough rise enough. I’m going to convince him to make some with me, now that I’ve created a full-proof hollow donut recipe.

This donut recipe is a bit more time consuming than baked donuts and they don’t have any fancy frosting. I’m pretty sure they’d get passed over on a table full of regular donuts, but they’re really delicious, especially with Vietnamese coffee and an extra dish of sweetened condensed milk for dipping. I hope you give them a go and happy donut-ing!

By the way, a bunch of my favorite food peeps all made donuts today! Check out all the donut posts right here and have an awesome donut filled weekend! If you want to join in the fun, hashtag your donuts on Instagram (#national🍩day #nationaldonutemojiday) and come to the party. You guys are following me on Instagram, right? ;)

PS – Imma dedicate these donuts to Lyndsay, who is one of the raddest donut lovers I know! Sending you loads of positive energy and donuts your way!!! (Okay, not literal donuts though. Cause I’m in NYC. But when I’m back, donut worry (heehee!), I’ll be sending LOTS!)