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Bánh Tét, a beloved sticky rice cake from Vietnam, traditionally prepared and enjoyed during Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, Bánh Tét brings together flavours, textures, and stories passed down through generations.
Wrapped in banana leaves and packed with rich ingredients, this cake is as vibrant in taste as it is in meaning, offering a unique experience that’s deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture.
What Is Bánh Tét?
Bánh Tét is a cylindrical sticky rice cake made from glutinous rice, often filled with mung beans and pork belly, then tightly wrapped in banana leaves and boiled to perfection. The cake’s distinctive shape and wrapping give it a festive appearance, but it’s the flavours inside that truly capture the essence of Vietnamese cuisine.
Each slice reveals a beautiful cross section: the green tinted rice from the banana leaves, the creamy yellow of mung beans, and the rich layers of pork. Bánh Tét comes in both savoury and sweet versions, with some variations filled with bananas or beans instead of meat.
Prepared in large batches, Bánh Tét is meant to be shared, making it a centrepiece for family gatherings during the Lunar New Year. It’s a dish that combines simplicity with depth, offering a balance of savoury and sweet flavours that’s both hearty and satisfying.
Ingredients and Taste
The ingredients of Bánh Tét may seem simple, but each one plays a vital role in creating its distinctive taste and texture. Glutinous rice forms the base, giving the cake its signature sticky, chewy texture.
Mung beans, a staple in Vietnamese cuisine, add a creamy, slightly sweet layer that complements the meat. Pork belly, often marinated before cooking, provides a savoury richness that permeates the rice, while the banana leaves impart a subtle, earthy aroma that infuses the cake during the long cooking process.
The taste of Bánh Tét is a delightful harmony of flavours. The rice, rich and sticky, is slightly salted to bring out the natural sweetness of the mung beans, which adds a soft, nutty flavour. The pork belly, tender and savoury, melts into the rice, creating a satisfying contrast with its rich, meaty taste.
When made in the sweet variety, Bánh Tét may include ripe bananas, turning the filling a lovely purple hue and creating a dessert like twist that balances sweetness with the faint earthiness from the banana leaves.
A Taste of History
Bánh Tét holds a special place in Vietnamese culture, especially in the southern regions, where it’s a staple of Lunar New Year celebrations. Its origins trace back centuries, with roots in the ancient Vietnamese agricultural communities that celebrated the harvest and the changing seasons.
The cylindrical shape is said to represent the Earth, symbolizing abundance, unity, and gratitude for the land’s bounty. Preparing Bánh Tét is often a family affair, with everyone coming together to soak the rice, prepare the fillings, and wrap each cake carefully in banana leaves.
The practice of making Bánh Tét is as meaningful as eating it. It’s a tradition that brings families closer, as the labour intensive process requires patience, skill, and collaboration.
During Tết, Bánh Tét is offered to ancestors as a sign of respect and gratitude, embodying the deep rooted Vietnamese values of family bonds, respect for tradition, and hope for prosperity.
Vietnamese Bánh Tét (Sticky Rice Cake) Recipe
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients:
- 2 cups glutinous rice, soaked in water for 4 hours and drained
- 1 cup split mung beans, soaked in water for 2 hours and drained
- 300g pork belly, cut into thick strips
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 4-6 banana leaves, rinsed and patted dry
- String or kitchen twine for wrapping
Directions
To begin, prepare the pork belly by seasoning with salt, black pepper, sugar, and fish sauce. Mix well to coat evenly, then set aside to marinate for 20 minutes. This will infuse the pork with flavour, adding richness to each bite of the sticky rice cake.
In a large bowl, combine the drained glutinous rice with a pinch of salt, mixing to distribute the seasoning evenly. Separately, sprinkle the soaked mung beans with a bit of salt and gently mix. Both the rice and mung beans should be lightly seasoned to complement the marinated pork.
Prepare the banana leaves by passing them over a flame briefly to soften. This makes them more pliable and easier to fold. Lay out one large leaf horizontally on your workspace, and place a second layer on top, creating a cross.
Spoon a thin layer of rice onto the centre of the leaves, spreading it to form a rectangle. Layer half of the mung beans over the rice, then place the marinated pork strips along the centre. Cover the pork with the remaining mung beans, then finish with another layer of rice.
Carefully fold the banana leaves over the filling, wrapping the rice cake tightly into a cylindrical shape. Make sure the filling is secure within the rice and leaf layers. Tie the banana leaf parcel with string or kitchen twine, wrapping it firmly but not too tightly, as the rice will expand as it cooks.
In a large pot, bring enough water to a boil to fully submerge the wrapped cakes. Place the Bánh Tét in the pot, making sure they are submerged. Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 4-5 hours. Check the water level occasionally and add more hot water if needed to keep the cakes fully submerged.
After cooking, remove the Bánh Tét from the water and let them rest for about 30 minutes to firm up. This resting period helps the cake hold its shape when sliced. Carefully untie and unwrap the banana leaves.
To serve, slice the Bánh Tét into rounds about 1-2 cm thick. Arrange on a serving plate and serve warm, accompanied by pickled vegetables or soy sauce for dipping. The combination of savoury pork, creamy mung beans, and sticky rice is best enjoyed in thin slices, allowing each layer’s flavour to shine.
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