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Traditional Vietnamese Banh Chung (Square Sticky Rice Cake)
Rate this recipeVietnamese Tet is at its most beautiful when the family table holds plates of banh chung, full of the flavours of home passed down through the ages. The whole family sits together, making the cakes step by step and tending the fire as they boil – all of which creates the atmosphere of a traditional Vietnamese Tet.
Content is translated using Google Translate, not properly censored, we will try to complete the translation better in the future.
Ingredients
4
Time
120 minutes
Servings
6
Level
Hard
Ingredients
Glutinous rice
500 g
Pork belly
400 g
Hulled mung beans
250 g
Banana leaves
400 g
Implementation Steps
01
- Rinse the glutinous rice clean and soak it overnight before cooking so it turns soft and sticky. In the morning, drain the rice and mix it with 2 tablespoons of salt.
- Soak the mung beans for 1 hour beforehand so they become soft and smooth. Then steam the beans until cooked and blend them with 1 tablespoon of salt. Divide the beans into 2 portions and shape each into a ball.
- Buy banana leaves that the seller has already cut to size to make things easier, and wipe them clean before wrapping.
- Soak the mung beans for 1 hour beforehand so they become soft and smooth. Then steam the beans until cooked and blend them with 1 tablespoon of salt. Divide the beans into 2 portions and shape each into a ball.
- Buy banana leaves that the seller has already cut to size to make things easier, and wipe them clean before wrapping.
02
Choose good-quality pork belly so the cakes are full of meaty flavour.
- Wash the pork and cut it into strips about 5 cm long and 1 cm thick.
- Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of pepper and mix well so the meat absorbs the flavour.
- Wash the pork and cut it into strips about 5 cm long and 1 cm thick.
- Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of pepper and mix well so the meat absorbs the flavour.
03
Line a mould with banana leaves. Spread a layer of rice evenly over the base, then add the beans, the pork and a final layer of rice. Cover the top with a banana leaf and fold the edges of the leaves neatly.
04
Once the leaves are folded, tie the cake with string to hold it in shape.
Tie it tightly with 1 string across and 1 string lengthwise (if your string is thin, you can use 2 each way).
Tie it tightly with 1 string across and 1 string lengthwise (if your string is thin, you can use 2 each way).
05
Get ready to cook.
Line the bottom of the pot with a few banana leaves.
Put the banh chung in the pot and pour in enough water to cover the cakes. Bring to the boil over high heat, then turn the heat down low and simmer for about 8 hours (keep an eye on the pot and top up the water when it gets low).
When the cakes are cooked, lift them out and drain – they're ready to offer to the ancestors.
Line the bottom of the pot with a few banana leaves.
Put the banh chung in the pot and pour in enough water to cover the cakes. Bring to the boil over high heat, then turn the heat down low and simmer for about 8 hours (keep an eye on the pot and top up the water when it gets low).
When the cakes are cooked, lift them out and drain – they're ready to offer to the ancestors.
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Traditional Vietnamese Banh Chung (Square Sticky Rice Cake)