These dumplings made with red shrimps and white rice powder and wrapped dark green dong (arrowroot) leaves are simple and colourful. Cooks boil fresh-water shrimps, remove the heads and shells, and grind the shrimps. They dry them over a fire until the meat turns bright red. Then they grind fresh onion to extract the juice, which they pour over the shrimps. The cooks then spread out the dong leaves and arrange on the leaves a thin layer of rice powder to which they have added a teaspoon of ground manioc plus water and salt. They add a layer of dried shrimps and wrap the mixture in the leaves, which they steam.
A plate of unwrapped bánh lá chả tôm creates a colourful picture. Hosts serve banh la cha torn with grilled, chopped shrimps and high-quality fish sauce.