Bánh Chưng

Bánh Chưng is a traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cake, rich in flavor and often enjoyed for breakfast. This gluten-free dish showcases fragrant glutinous rice, tender mung beans, and savory pork, all wrapped in banana leaves.

Ingredients

• Glutinous rice - 200 grams
• Mung beans (peeled) - 100 grams
• Pork belly (cut into small pieces) - 150 grams
• Shallots (finely chopped) - 1 medium
• Fish sauce - 1 tablespoon
• Salt - 1 teaspoon
• Black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
• Banana leaves - 4 large pieces (for wrapping)
• String or kitchen twine - for tying

Steps

1. Soak the glutinous rice in water for at least 4 hours or overnight, then drain.
2. Soak the mung beans in water for 2 hours, then drain and steam for about 20 minutes until soft.
3. In a pan, sauté the chopped shallots until fragrant, then add the pork belly, fish sauce, salt, and black pepper. Cook until the pork is browned and cooked through.
4. In a large bowl, combine the drained glutinous rice and steamed mung beans, mixing well.
5. Prepare banana leaves by cutting them into rectangles (about 30 cm x 25 cm) and briefly steaming them to make them pliable.
6. Lay two overlapping pieces of banana leaves on a flat surface. Place 1/4 of the rice and mung bean mixture in the center, followed by 1/4 of the pork mixture, and then top with another 1/4 of the rice mixture.
7. Fold the banana leaves over the filling to create a square package, making sure it's tightly wrapped. Tie it securely with kitchen twine.
8. Repeat the wrapping process for the remaining ingredients to make a total of 4 cakes.
9. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add the wrapped cakes. Boil for about 3 hours, ensuring the cakes are submerged. Add more water as needed.
10. After cooking, remove the cakes from the pot and let them cool before unwrapping.

Nutrition

• Calories: 450
• Protein: 15 g
• Carbs: 70 g
• Fiber: 4 g
• Sugar: 1 g
• Sodium: 600 mg
• Cholesterol: 35 mg
• Total Fat: 15 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
• Water: 0.5 L

Health Benefits

• Rich in carbohydrates for energy.
• Provides a good source of protein from pork and mung beans.

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