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Preparation
4 hours
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Processing
2 hours
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Difficulty
Medium
Bánh chưng is a traditional cake that is indispensable during the Tet holiday. The flavor of this dish is certainly not too unfamiliar to us, today let’s join TasteVN in the kitchen to transform this traditional cake with black sticky rice to have a delicious and more unique bánh chưng with black sticky rice and pork filling for the Tet holiday!
Ingredients for Black Sticky Rice Bánh Chưng with Pork Filling For 3 pieces
Black sticky rice 640 gr White sticky rice 500 gr Pork 500 gr (pork belly) Split mung beans 540 gr Shallots 50 gr Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common seasoning a little (sugar/salt/MSG/pepper) Dong leaves a little String 1 bunch (18 strings)
Information about black sticky rice
Black sticky rice (also known as black glutinous rice) is a type of rice that is black in color but turns purple when cooked. Black sticky rice has nutritional value and a high starch content similar to brown rice, making it very good for health. It has a distinct delicious flavor, so it is often used to make many appealing dishes such as: sticky rice, cakes, yogurt, wine, or desserts.
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh pork
- For the filling of bánh chưng, you can choose to buy pork belly or lean shoulder, the meat should have equal parts fat and lean; avoid choosing meat that is too lean as it will be easily unappetizing.
- Fresh and good pork should have a cloudy white fat and pinkish-red lean meat, with a thick layer of fat about 2cm under the skin, having the characteristic smell of fresh meat; do not buy meat that has a strange smell or smells rotten.
- You can choose good pork belly by pressing the layer of fat with your hand; if the fat quickly returns to its original shape, it is advisable to buy it.
How to choose good black sticky rice
- Choose good sticky rice based on the appearance of the sticky rice grains; they should have a dark purple or blackish color, with a light yellowish line on the belly of the grain, and the grains should be round and slightly flattened.
- Avoid buying broken sticky rice grains or those that have strange colors or smells.
How to choose dong leaves
- Choose leaves that are dark green, avoid very young or very old leaves, clean both sides of the leaves thoroughly, and remove half of the main vein to make wrapping the cake easier.
- Choose dong leaves that are large and of moderate length.
- If using banana leaves, select dark green banana leaves with large blades, completely remove the main vein, sun-dry the leaves until they wilt or blanch the leaves in boiling water, then clean both surfaces of the leaves.
Tools required:
Pressure cooker, digital scale or specialized baking scale, cake tongs, knife,…
How to make Sticky Rice Cake with Pork Filling
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Soak black sticky rice and mung beans
Take 640g of black sticky rice mixed with 500g of white sticky rice, pour in enough water to cover about 1 finger’s width, and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Soak for 14 hours, then rinse with clean water and drain.
Take 540g of peeled mung beans and soak them in water for 4 hours, then rinse with clean water and drain.
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Marinate the meat
Wash the pork with diluted salt water to eliminate any unpleasant odor, then cut into slices about 1cm thick and marinate with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/3 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, mixing all ingredients with 50g of finely chopped or thinly sliced shallots, depending on preference, and a little pepper.
After soaking, add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate to the mung beans and mix well.
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Put the filling on the leaves
The amount of ingredients prepared will make 3 cakes. Each cake includes 180g of seasoned mung beans, 380g of black sticky rice mixed with white sticky rice, and 2 to 3 pieces of pork depending on the size of the meat pieces.
Take 2 pieces of dong leaves and arrange them in a cross shape, take 380g of black sticky rice and divide it into 2 equal parts, place one part of the rice at the center of the leaves, then use a spoon to spread the rice evenly, making the rice in the middle thinner than the surrounding rice.
Next, take 180g of seasoned mung beans and divide it into 2 equal parts, placing one part of the mung beans on top of the black sticky rice from before, and continue to spread them out into a thin layer.
Then, place the pork on top of the layer of mung beans and rice, arranging the meat so that it completely covers the mung beans. Finally, add the remaining mung beans to cover the layer of meat and the remaining rice to evenly cover the mung beans.
Repeat the same process for the filling of the other 2 cakes.
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Wrapping the cake
Fold the two opposite ends of the leaves together and use a string to temporarily tie the ends to secure them. Then flip the cake package over, take one end and fold it to make the bottom, gently pat to spread the sticky rice evenly inside the cake. Use a spoon to slowly press down to compact the sticky rice tightly.
Next, use scissors to trim any excess leaves, turn the ends and wrap the cake again, adjusting the leaves to completely cover the sticky rice and filling inside. Use scissors to cut off the excess leaves, press down with the newly cut leaves, then carefully fold the cake so that the corners are square, turn the ends back and perform similar actions, then use string to tie the two ends of the cake together so that the two strings form a cross.
Use four additional strings to proceed with the cake shaping process (tying the strings to shape the cake), tying the strings in parallel with the previous two strings, noting not to tie too tightly like the cylindrical cake but also not too loosely as it may cause the cake to be watery during cooking. Repeat the same operation with the other two cakes.
If you use banana leaves instead of dong leaves to wrap the square cake, the process remains the same. Alternatively, you can use a square cake mold to make wrapping easier. For wrapping with a mold, the wrapping leaves should fit snugly with the mold to meet the requirement.
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Steaming the cake
Prepare a pressure cooker and put some leftover leaves at the bottom of the pot, then arrange the cakes inside, placing them vertically in a semicircular shape along the sides of the steamer. Add water to cover more than 2/3 of the cakes and proceed to steam with the pressure cooker for 1 hour.
After 1 hour of steaming, turn off the heat, open the lid, and flip the cakes for even cooking, then plug it back in and steam for another 40 minutes. After that, turn off the heat and let the cakes rest in the pressure cooker for about 20 minutes.
Take the cakes out, soak them in cold water for 5 minutes, and press the cakes to make them firmer. Use a thin cutting board to weigh down the cakes, then place an additional layer of aluminum foil or A4 paper on top, using a heavy object to press down. If you want the cakes to be firmer, press down hard but not too hard to avoid breaking the cakes. If you want the cakes to remain fluffy yet still tasty, press gently to push out the excess water from the steaming process. Let the cakes cool down, and you can enjoy this unique bánh chưng dish.
Note:
- To retain the color of the leaves when steaming the cakes, you should pour boiling water into the steamer instead of cold water.
- To preserve the cakes for a long time, when soaking the glutinous rice, add 1 teaspoon of salt, and when marinating the meat, do not use shallots!
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Finished Product
So we have a traditional square sticky rice cake with a unique flavor, the sticky black rice is soft and fragrant with its characteristic aroma combined with the nutty taste of mung beans and the rich, fatty flavor of pork fat, promising to create an exciting journey of taste. This sticky black rice cake with pork filling should be served with a bit of pickled food, pickled shallots to enhance the dish’s appeal!
Tips for Successful Execution
- The boiling time of the cake will directly affect the storage time of the cake. Boiling the cake for a long time and thoroughly will help preserve it longer.
- To have a nice green exterior when boiling, pour boiling water to cook the cake. Alternatively, we can blanch the cake in boiling water, and once cooked, soak it in cold water for about 5 minutes.
- After boiling the cake and soaking it in cold water, use a heavy object like a cutting board to press out the excess water from the cake; this will help the cake maintain an attractive shape.
- Sticky rice cakes can be preserved by thoroughly cleaning the surface of the wrapping leaves. After steaming the cake, wash the surface of the cake and then hang it in a well-ventilated place.
See more:
The above is a guide to making the purple glutinous rice bánh chưng with pork filling that is delicious, simple, and eye-catching. Let’s get started on making this dish now! Wishing you success!
*Source for images and recipe from the YouTube channel Vành Khuyên Lê
