Tying Banh Tet (Vietnamese Glutinous Rice Cakes with Pork Belly & Mung Beans) for Lunar New Year

By Vicky Pham · 480 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Rub the pork belly all over with about 1 tablespoon of coarse salt to draw out surface impurities. Rinse well under running water, then pat dry with paper towels.
2. Season the pork with the sea salt, sugar, fish sauce, black pepper, minced scallion or shallot whites and chicken bouillon powder (if using).
3. Rinse the sweet rice in a colander until the water runs clear, then soak it overnight in water covering it by 2 inches. Soak the mung beans the same way. Drain each into separate bowls and season with their listed amounts of sea salt (2 teaspoons for the rice, 1 1/2 teaspoons for the beans).
4. Thaw the banana leaves if frozen. Cut 12 sheets, each 11×11 inches; each cake uses 3 sheets. Rinse the sheets in hot water to clean and soften them, then dry with paper towels.
5. Lay two leaves with veins running horizontally, and place a third with veins running vertically on top (shiny side up if you can tell). Add 1/2 cup rice, 1/4 cup mung beans and the pork, then top with 1/4 cup mung beans and 1/2 cup rice.
6. Lift the leaves and wrap everything into a log, using temporary ties or rubber bands around the middle if needed. Stand the log upright, bend the leaves at one end, add about 2 tablespoons rice to fill that end, and fold the leaves down neatly in four folds. Repeat at the other end.
7. Tie with string: two vertical ties and three evenly spaced horizontal ties across the middle, or more if you like. Simple knots are fine if tying is tricky.
8. Boil on the stovetop in a large covered 8-quart pot on medium-low simmer, keeping the cakes fully submerged (weigh them down with a heavy bowl or plate if needed) and topping up water as needed, for about 7 hours. Alternatively, pressure cook in an 8-quart inner pot filled to the maximum line on high for 2 hours 30 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for about 30 minutes.
9. Remove the cakes from the hot water, dry with paper towels and let cool to room temperature.
10. Remove the banana leaves and slice the cakes into 2-inch coins. Eat at room temperature, or pan-fry the slices in a little oil until golden and crisp.

Summarized from Vicky Pham's video. Watch it for the details.

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