← Nouns Cooking · Vietnamese

Ingredients

• 1 kg Glutinous (sticky) rice
• 1 tbsp salt, for the rice
• 500 g Split, skinned mung beans
• 1½ tsp salt, for the beans
• 700 g skin-on pork belly
• 1 tsp salt, for the pork
• 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 Shallot, minced
• 1 tsp Fish sauce
• 500 g banana leaves (frozen is fine), thawed
• water, for boiling

Method

1. The night before, rinse the rice and the mung beans separately until the water runs clear, then soak each in plenty of cold water overnight.
2. Drain the rice well and mix in the rice salt. Drain the beans, steam them for 25–30 min until soft, then mash with the bean salt and divide into 8 equal balls.
3. Cut the pork belly into strips about 3 cm thick and toss with the salt, pepper, shallots and fish sauce. Leave for 30 min while you prepare the leaves.
4. Wipe the leaves clean and pour hot water over them so they soften and don’t split. Line a 15 cm square mould (or box) with leaves in a cross, shiny side out, with plenty of overhang.
5. For each cake, spread in an eighth of the rice, flatten a bean ball on top, add a quarter of the pork, another bean ball and another eighth of the rice. Fold the leaves over tightly, lift out of the mould and tie firmly in both directions with kitchen string. Make 4 cakes.
6. Lay the cakes in a large pot, cover completely with water and weigh them down with a plate. Boil for 8–10 hours, topping up with boiling water so they always stay submerged (or pressure cook for about 1½ hours).
7. Lift the cakes out, rinse in cold water, then press under a chopping board with something heavy on top for 4–6 hours so they set firm. Unwrap and cut with a taut string into wedges.

Tips

• Wrapped and cooled, the cakes keep for about a week in a cool place or the fridge; slices are wonderful pan-fried until crisp.
• Pickled shallots or đồ chua cut through the richness perfectly.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Vicky Pham Delightful Plate Helen’s Recipes