Photograph of the finished Banh chung Vietnamese square sticky rice cake

Vietnam · Bánh chưng

Banh chung Vietnamese square sticky rice cake

9 hr Hands-on time + 14 hr waiting
HardDifficulty
6 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Sticky rice Sticky rice 1.3 lb
  • Photograph of Peeled mung beans Peeled mung beans 8.5 oz
  • Photograph of Pork belly Pork belly 11.3 oz
  • Photograph of Dong leaves Dong leaves 12 leaves
  • Photograph of Dried shallots Dried shallots 0.8 oz
  • Photograph of Black pepper Black pepper 0.3 oz
  • Photograph of Salt Salt 0.6 oz

Method

  1. 1 Soak glutinous rice and mung beans separately in cold water for 8 hours, then rinse and mix with salt.
  2. 2 Marinate thick slices of pork belly with dried onions, salt, and plenty of pepper for 30 minutes.
  3. 3 Wash the banana leaves, dry them, trim the veins, and arrange them in a square mold.
  4. 4 Arrange the sticky rice, mung beans, meat, and mung beans in layers, then cover with sticky rice, wrap into a square shape, and tie tightly with string.
  5. 5 Boil the dumplings in plenty of water for 8 hours, adding more boiling water when it dries up.
  6. 6 Remove the cakes from the water, rinse them with cold water, then press them heavily for 6 hours to make them firm and dry.
Start cooking