Authentic home cooking from Vietnam, with US measurements. 
Bánh tét
This was my first time wrapping bánh tét by myself. Growing up, my parents always made them, so I never thought I’d do it on my own. I never paid attention to how my grandparents wrapped them—I just knew the cake had sticky rice, filling, and was wrapped in leaves and tied tightly with string. That’s all there was to it. My first roll looked pretty bad, but by the second one, it was better. After wrapping 10 rolls, I was so happy, but someone said you have to wait until the cakes are cooked to know if they’re good. That made me nervous. Finally, the moment came, and I was so lucky—the cakes were beautifully green and delicious.
Bánh tét
This was my first time wrapping bánh tét by myself. Growing up, my parents always made them, so I never thought I’d do it on my own. I never paid attention to how my grandparents wrapped them—I just knew the cake had sticky rice, filling, and was wrapped in leaves and tied tightly with string. That’s all there was to it. My first roll looked pretty bad, but by the second one, it was better. After wrapping 10 rolls, I was so happy, but someone said you have to wait until the cakes are cooked to know if they’re good. That made me nervous. Finally, the moment came, and I was so lucky—the cakes were beautifully green and delicious.
Open in Cookpad AppSteps
- 1
Rinse the sticky rice thoroughly and soak it overnight with 1 tablespoon salt. Rinse the mung beans and soak them overnight as well.
- 2
Wash the banana leaves and let them wilt slightly. Soak the bamboo string in water to make it easier to tie.
- 3
Cut the pork belly into long strips and marinate with seasonings.
- 4
Drain the sticky rice in a colander.
- 5
Cook the mung beans until soft, then mash them. Sauté chopped shallots in cooking oil, add the mung beans, and stir-fry with salt, pepper, and a little MSG to taste. Let the mung beans cool, then shape them into long strips like the pork.
- 6
Lay about 3 layers of banana leaves on a tray. Spread about 1 cup of sticky rice in a thin layer, then add the pork and mung beans. Top with another cup of sticky rice to cover the filling. Wrap the cake, fold the two sides of the leaves together, and tie the bamboo string around the middle. Gather one end, stand the roll upright, cover the top with two small pieces of banana leaf, and tie it. Flip and repeat on the other end. Tie the string tightly so the cake is firm and neat.
- 7
Add more string and roll the cake to make it round and even. (If you see the filling at the end, add more sticky rice to cover it.) Continue until all the cakes are wrapped.
- 8
Place the cakes in a large pot, fill with water, and bring to a boil. Add more water every hour as needed. If cooking over wood, the cakes will taste even better. Boil for about 6 hours, then remove the cakes, pour out the water, and return the cakes to the pot, rotating the ones on top to the bottom. Add water and cook for another 6 hours until done. Watch the heat carefully so the cakes cook evenly. When done, remove the cakes, briefly dip them in cold water to clean, and let them drain.
- 9
In my family, we don’t add any extra leaves, but the cakes still turn out beautifully green.
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