Vietnamese Savory Pasty Rice Cakes with Pork Belly & Mung Beans for Lunar New Year (Bánh Tét)

Celebrate Lunar New Year with Bánh Tét

Vietnamese Savory Glutinous Rice Cakes with Pork abdomen & Mung Beans for Lunar New year (Bánh Tét)

Bánh Tét is similar turkey on Thanksgiving. Information technology's a pain in the ass to put together and not delicious enough to crave. Merely it's a must-have on Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tét). You better have them around for Tét or else fail as an adult.

Bánh Tét is a Vietnamese savory "cake" made from glutinous rice, pork abdomen, and mung beans. Information technology's rolled into thick logs, wrapped in banana leaves that perfumes the filling, then string-tied for that signature eye-catching look. These cakes cook for hours until the rice and mung beans flare-up into a sticky paste.

Make a bunch and give them out every bit gifts! You get a banh tet! Y'all get a banh tet and y'all get a banh tet!

What is Bánh Chưng Then?

Information technology's the aforementioned cake, but instead of shaping the cake into a log, it's shaped into a square and slapped with a dissimilar name to confuse people.

Strings for Tying Bánh Tét

When tying the cakes, you can use cooking twine or those colorful plastic ropes normally found in Asian supermarkets. I don't like the idea of boiling plastic, so I prefer twine. When tying the cakes, do not overtighten. The string should hold everything together but not and then tight that it bends the assistant leaves or prevents the rice grains and mung beans from expanding.

This picture show is from my very showtime try. Not too shabby, eh?

Cooking

Y'all can boil the cakes on the stovetop in a big stockpot with a hat. I'm only making 5 medium-size cakes hither so an 8-quart pot should be big enough. Brand sure cakes are tucked in vertically to fit and keep them submerged in water to ensure even cooking. If you are using larger pots, the cakes will initially float. Use a heavy ceramic bowl or plate to weigh the cakes down if needed.

Stove-top cooking will take about 4 hours. My mother in law boils them for even longer, upwards to 8 hours. I'm not convinced that all that cooking time is needed and then I reduce the cooking fourth dimension in half and 4 hours was enough. I could possibly reduce the cooking time down to two hours but I'm messing with traditions hither and trekking dangerous territory. When boiling, check the h2o level occasionally and add water equally needed.

Alternatively, yous can use a pressure cooker on high for 2 hours with a quick release.

Pan-fried Bánh Tét — my favorite manner to enjoy these cakes.

Serving

Remove all the banana leaves from the rice cakes and cut with a knife into one to 2-inch coins. Traditionally, it's cut with a string to prevent sticking. Some people utilise floss. Others use a fishing line. The cakes can exist enjoyed, as is, at room temperature.

Y'all tin can also pan-fry them in a bit of oil for a golden crunchy crust and enjoy information technology warm, which is how I like 'em. But be careful with those crispy edges. They are not but crunchy but sticky from the sticky rice. This ways a bite can chip delicate teeth or pull out dentures. Remind your elders ;-)

This is mother-in-law'due south banh tet. She likes to add cashews in the filling. She as well makes her ain dried pickled radish.

Storage

Wrap the cooked cakes in saran/plastic wrap to prevent air exposure then stick them in the fridge. They continue well refrigerated for upwardly to ane week, maybe even two. Yous can also freeze them to enjoy for eternity. Better yet, souvenir them to friends and families, as they are typically bootleg and deceit' exist purchased. They will thank you for your service.

Full recipe and detailed instructions beneath, with pictures!

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!

Become YOUR PORK Abdomen ON

Get 'em early. If you wait also long, yous will have to fist fight little old Asian ladies at the meat counter

WHAT ELSE You lot WILL Need

Banana Leaves (yous tin become them fresh or frozen)
Sugariness rice (also known as glutinous rice)
Split and hulled mung beans (if you don't get them already hulled, they volition appear green and volition require more work)

PREP Ahead

Don't be caught off guard. Rinse rice and mung beans until h2o runs clear and so soak overnight.

Marinated pork belly strips, presoaked and seasoned sweet rice and mung beans. We are ready to get together!

How to Add Filling for Bánh Tét

How to Wrap & Tie Bánh Tét

Vietnamese Savory Glutinous Rice Cakes with Pork abdomen and Mung Beans for Lunar New year's day (Banh Tet)

This makes five 7x3-inch cylindrical cakes

Ingredients

    Pork Belly

  • 1 lb pork abdomen (pare-on preferred; slice into 4 strips)
  • ½ teaspoon body of water salt
  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon fish sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon basis black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons finely minced whites of scallions or shallots
  • ½ teaspoon craven bouillon powder (optional only recommended)

    • Sweet Rice

  • 5 cups sweet rice grains (rinse until water runs clear and presoak overnight, cover with 3 inches water)
  • ane-½ teaspoons sea table salt

    • Mung Beans

  • 3 cups dried split mung beans (rinse until h2o runs clear and presoak overnight, cover with 3 inches h2o)
  • 1-½ teaspoons sea salt

    • Other Ingredients

  • 1 bundle (16 oz) banana leaves
  • Cooking twine
  • Big stock pot with a lid or force per unit area cooker (8 quarts minimum)

Instructions

  1. Season pork belly with common salt, sugar, fish sauce, ground black pepper, whites of scallions/shallots, and chicken bouillon powder.
  2. In a colander, rinse presoaked rice and drain dry. Toss with common salt and set aside. Practise the aforementioned with the mung beans.
  3. Thaw the banana leaves if frozen and gently unfold to separate. Remove the thick brown spines (if any) with kitchen shears. Cut out 12 11x11-inch sheets. We will be using 3 sheets of banana leaves per block. Continue extras only in example. Rinse sheets with hot water to make clean. The hot water also makes them more than pliable and less prone to tearing. Dry out each sheet with kitchen/paper towels. Set bated.
  4. Identify i assistant leaf with the shiny side downward with veins running horizontally. Place some other banana leafage on top the same manner. Identify the final banana leaf with the shiny side upwardly with veins running vertically. This will provide a sturdy structure.
  5. Refer to the diagrams above for filling and wrapping instructions. If tying gets besides hard, you tin employ multiple strings and make simple knots around the cake.
  6. Boil the cakes on the stovetop in a big covered stockpot on a medium-low simmer. Make sure cakes are always submerged in water to ensure even cooking. Apply a large ceramic bowl or plate to weigh the cakes downward if needed. Stove-top cooking will have virtually 4 hours. Check the h2o level occasionally and add h2o as needed. Alternatively, cook in a pressure cooker on high for 2 hours with a quick release.
  7. Carefully remove cakes from the hot water and dry with kitchen towels. Permit them to cool to room temperature. Remove all the banana leaves and slice into 2-inch coins. Enjoy at room temperature or pan-fry the slices in a bit of oil for a golden crunchy crust. These cakes go on well in the fridge for up to one week or freeze to enjoy for eternity.

Look! I made a mini Bánh Tét.

CHECK OUT ALL MY New year RECIPES:

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