Fragrant, Extra-Sticky Vegetarian Banh Chung

Before wrapping, soak the glutinous rice overnight or for 6 hours. After soaking, wash the rice and pick out any unhusked grains, husks or grit. Then drain the rice in a basket.

Mix a little five-spice powder, a little oil, salt and coconut milk into the drained rice. Only do this just before wrapping – if you do it too early, the rice will become watery.

- Soak the lotus seeds, chestnuts and mung beans in warm water overnight too.
- After soaking and cleaning, steam the chestnuts and lotus seeds in a pot for about 15 minutes, then spread the mung beans on top. When the lotus seeds are cooked, the mung beans will be just cooked too.
- Trim the hard base off the white seaweed and break it into small pieces.
- Cut the shiitake mushrooms into strips, boil until cooked and drain off the cooking water.

Heat some oil in a pan and fry the ginger with five-spice powder until fragrant. Add the shiitake and stir-fry briefly, then add the chestnuts, lotus seeds and white seaweed and stir-fry until heated through. Season with salt, pepper, soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce and sesame oil to taste. A tip for delicious vegetarian banh chung: season the filling slightly on the salty side so the finished cake tastes just right.

Bring a pot of water to the boil to blanch the leaves. For dong leaves, shave off the thick central rib; for lotus leaves, cut off the stems; for banana leaves, cut out the ribs as well.
After washing the leaves in clean water, dip them into the boiling water and take them straight out, then wipe dry with a clean cloth. Blanching keeps the banh chung green and makes the leaves soft and easy to wrap.

How to wrap banh chung:
Brush oil on the leaves and lay the banana leaves on a clean table (darker side facing down).
Place the mould on the banana leaves. Line the inside of the mould with more banana leaves so they cover the bottom and sides completely. Add a layer of glutinous rice (about ⅔ bowl), spreading it into all 4 corners.
Then add a portion of the mung bean filling. Finally, add another layer of rice on top to cover it completely. Press the outer edges of the leaves against the sides of the mould so there are no gaps. Remove the mould by gently and slowly pulling it up towards you, holding the rice and leaves down so the leaves don't come loose. Fold the outer leaves over to close.
Tie the cake tightly with string in 4 directions, like wrapping a present. (Don't tie it too tightly, or the string will leave marks when the cake swells, which won't look nice.)

How to cook vegetarian banh chung:
Arrange the banh chung in a large pot and boil for 6–8 hours until cooked, always topping up the water so the cakes stay submerged. Banh chung cooked over a wood fire is the tastiest and stickiest, but you can also cook it over charcoal.

When the cakes are cooked, take them out of the boiling water and rinse them in cooled boiled water to remove the sliminess. Press them under something heavy so they become firm, square and attractive.

Leave the cakes to cool overnight and they're ready to enjoy. Made this way, vegetarian banh chung has a wonderful mushroom aroma, and the cake is rich and satisfying without being heavy.