Delicious Black Sticky Rice Banh Chung with Pork Filling for Tet Holiday

How to make Sticky Rice Cake with Pork Filling

• 1

  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.

  See more:Why is it necessary to soak beans and grains before cooking?

  

  
• 2

  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.

  
• 3

  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.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  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.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  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!

  

  
• 6

  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!