Bánh Tét

A compact cylinder of sticky rice, hiding a melting heart of fatty pork and mung beans. When sliced, the rice appears glossy and translucent, while the meat pulls apart easily.

• Prep time: 60 min
• Cook time: 360 min
• Difficulty: Hard
• Calories: 1429
• Protein: 39 g
• Carbs: 182 g
• Fat: 60 g

Ingredients

• 0.7 kg sticky rice ( soaked for 8 hours )
• 333.3 g Pork belly ( in 2cm strips )
• 200 g mung beans ( cooked and mashed )
• 133.3 ml Coconut milk
• 1.3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 piece Shallot ( minced )
• 0.7 tbsp White sugar
• 0.7 tsp Gray sea salt
• 0.7 tsp Black pepper ground
• 6.7 piece Banana leaves ( cleaned and softened with hot water )
• 0.7 piece Cooking twine ( cut into sufficient lengths )

Instructions

1. Preparing rice and beans

   Wash sticky rice and mung beans separately. Soak in clear water for at least 8 hours. Drain thoroughly. The rice grain should be soft enough to crush with a fingernail.

2. Marinating the pork

   Cut the pork belly into 2cm wide strips. Mix with minced shallots, fish sauce, sugar, and a generous amount of black pepper. Let the meat marinate for 2 hours.

3. Cooking the filling

   Steam the mung beans until tender. Mash them into a thick, dry paste. Shape the paste into cylinders around the marinated pork strips.

4. Glazing the rice

   In a pan, heat coconut milk with salt. Add sticky rice and stir over medium heat until the milk is absorbed. The rice should be sticky and glossy.

5. Assembly and tying

   On banana leaves, spread a layer of rice and place the filling cylinder in the center. Roll into a cylinder. Fold the ends and tie very tightly with twine to compress everything.

6. Long cooking

   Submerge the rolls in a large pot of boiling water. Simmer for 6 hours, regularly adding hot water to ensure the cakes remain fully submerged.

Chef's tips

• Use a clean sewing thread to cut the slices: it prevents crushing the sticky rice.
• If the rice isn't tight enough when tying, water will seep in and soak the cake.
• The next day, pan-fry the slices to crisp up the exterior; it's even better.

Storage

Keeps for 1 week in the refrigerator inside its leaves. Can be frozen once cooked.