Banh Chung and Banh Tet Recipe

Question

Can you provide a recipe for making Banh Chung and Banh Tet?

Answer 1

Here's a recipe for making Bánh Tét, a traditional Vietnamese cylindrical sticky rice cake often enjoyed during Tet.

Ingredients:

1 kg glutinous rice
400g pork belly (cut into small pieces)
200g split mung beans
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
5-6 shallots (finely chopped)
Banana leaves (wide enough to wrap the rice cake)
Cooking twine

Instructions:

Soak the glutinous rice and split mung beans separately in water overnight. Drain them before using.

In a frying pan, sauté the chopped shallots until fragrant. Add the pork belly pieces and cook until they turn slightly brown. Season with fish sauce, salt, and black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare the banana leaves by wiping them clean and briefly passing them over an open flame to make them more pliable.

Take two banana leaves and overlap them lengthwise to form a long strip. Fold the strip in half lengthwise to create a narrower strip.

Place a layer of soaked glutinous rice on the banana leaf strip, about 1-2 cm thick.

Add a layer of cooked pork belly, followed by a layer of drained split mung beans.

Continue layering with more glutinous rice, pork belly, and mung beans until the ingredients are used up, making sure to finish with a layer of glutinous rice on top.

Fold the banana leaf strip over the filling to enclose it, creating a cylindrical shape.

Use cooking twine to tightly tie the banana leaf-wrapped rice cake at regular intervals along its length to secure it.

Repeat the above steps to make additional Bánh Tét.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil.

Place the Bánh Tét in the pot, making sure they are fully submerged in water.

Boil the Bánh Tét for about 6-8 hours, adding more water if necessary to keep them covered.

Once the cooking time is complete, carefully remove the Bánh Tét from the pot and let them cool slightly.

Remove the banana leaf wrapping and cut the Bánh Tét into slices.

Bánh Tét is typically served at room temperature or slightly warmed. It can be enjoyed on its own or served with other Tet dishes.

Note: The traditional method of boiling Bánh Tét takes a long time. Alternatively, you can use a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time to around 2-3 hours, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Enjoy your homemade Bánh Tét during Tet celebrations!

Answer 2

Here's a recipe for making Banh Chung, a traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cake typically enjoyed during Tet.

Ingredients:

1 kg glutinous rice
400g pork belly (cut into small pieces)
200g split mung beans
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
5-6 shallots (finely chopped)
10-12 large banana leaves
Cooking twine

Instructions:

Soak the glutinous rice and split mung beans separately in water overnight. Drain them before using.

In a frying pan, sauté the chopped shallots until fragrant. Add the pork belly pieces and cook until they turn slightly brown. Season with fish sauce, salt, and black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare the banana leaves by wiping them clean and briefly passing them over an open flame to make them more pliable.

Take two banana leaves and overlap them to form a square shape. Fold the leaves in half diagonally to create a triangle.

Fold one side of the triangle towards the center, then fold the other side over to completely enclose the filling.

Use cooking twine to tightly tie the banana leaf packet, ensuring it holds its shape.

Repeat the above steps to make additional banana leaf packets.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil.

Place the banana leaf packets in the pot, making sure they are fully submerged in water.

Boil the banana leaf packets for about 6 hours, adding more water if necessary to keep them covered.

Once the cooking time is complete, carefully remove the banana leaf packets from the pot and let them cool slightly.

Unwrap the banana leaf packets and cut the Banh Chung into slices or squares.

Banh Chung is typically served at room temperature or slightly warmed. It can be enjoyed on its own or alongside other Tet dishes.

Note: The traditional method of boiling Banh Chung takes a long time. Alternatively, you can use a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time to around 2-3 hours, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Enjoy your homemade Banh Chung during Tet celebrations!