Best Vietnamese Rice Cakes In Banana Leaves Recipes

VIETNAMESE BANH TET RECIPE - STICKY RICE CAKE

Steps:

• The Night Before: Preparing the IngredientsSoak the rice in coconut juice for 1/2 hour. Then, cover it with three inches of water and let it sit overnight. Place the mung beans in a bowl and rinse under cold water until the water is clear. Drain the beans, then add enough cold water to cover the mung beans by 1 inch. Let soak overnight. Cut the pork belly into 3-inches long, 2-inches wide, and 1/2-inch thick pieces, ensuring that each piece has fat and skin. Add the fish sauce, sea salt, pepper, and pork belly to a bowl and mix well. Let the filling marinate overnight. Soak the tropical leaves, placing them in a large roasting pan and adding water to cover. Put a plate as a weight on top of the leaves to keep them submerged. The Morning Of: Preparing the IngredientsDrain the rice in a colander and return it to the bowl. Gradually mix in the salt, sprinkling it over the rice and using your hands to distribute it well. Drain the mung beans. Using a steamer and a parchment paper as liner, lay the mung beans in the steamer tray and spread it out evenly. Place the tray onto the steamer and cover. Steam for 8 minutes or until the mung beans are tender. Let it cool. Once cool, add the cooled beans into a food processor until it as a whipped consistency. Drain the bamboo leaves, rinse, and set aside. Rinse and pat the tropical leaves dry and cut them into sheets of 5" x 12". Set aside. Assembling the Banh Tet with IngredientsTo make each banh tet cake, put a 12" x 18" inch sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil on your work surface, with the shortest side closest to you. Scoop up 1 cup of the prepared rice and distribute the rice evenly. Next, scoop up the mung beans and add it as a layer. Lastly, add the pork belly on top. Now, roll the banh tet together and tie it with a string. Repeat these steps for the remaining 3 cakes. Boiling Banh TetFill a 12-quart stockpot half full with water. Place the cakes in the pot by stacking or standing them up. Add enough water to cover the cakes. Hint: To keep the cakes from floating, place a heavy ceramic plate on top to gently weigh it down. To maintain a gentle boil, keep a separate kettle of boiling water on the stove to replenish the stockpot as needed. After about 3 hours into cooking, the cakes should no longer float. At this point, remove the ceramic plate. After the seven hours of boiling, use tongs to transfer the cooked cakes to a pot of cold water. Once they are fully cooled, you should be ready to eat and store for 2-3 days.

BIBINGKA (COCONUT RICE CAKES WITH BANANA LEAVES)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees and center racks.
• Line two 8-inch cast-iron skillets or similar pans with banana leaves: Set 2 large sheets in each pan, allowing banana leaves to overlap in the center and come up the sides. Cut off any overhang that extends more than 1/2 inch beyond the lip of the skillet. Melt the butter, and add 1 tablespoon melted butter to each skillet, brushing it to coat the bottom and sides, reserving the remaining melted butter for the cake.
• In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and Parmesan; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice flour, sugar and baking powder.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, eggs and the remaining 6 tablespoons melted butter. Add about a third of the flour mixture and stir to combine. Repeat twice, integrating dry ingredients into wet ingredients, stirring until combined.
• Pour half the cake batter into each buttered skillet and smooth each into an even layer.
• Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, until set around the edges but the surface of the center is puffy and not fully cooked through, rotating the cakes halfway through cooking.
• Remove the cakes from the oven. Form the cream cheese mixture into about 10 1/2-inch-thick logs. Top each cake with a few slices of duck egg coins in the center, then arrange five cream cheese logs on each cake, radiating outward from the center of each cake, like the arms of a starfish. (The logs will sink in lightly on the top, but should not sink in fully.) Return the cakes to the oven to continue baking for 10 minutes more, then increase the temperature to 400 degrees and cook until the top is a deep golden and cakes are fully set, 10 to 15 minutes. The cakes will be lightly domed and should spring back when touched.
• Let cool 10 minutes then cut into slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.

STEAMED VEGAN RICE CAKES (BANH BO HAP)

Steps:

• Whisk rice flour, water, coconut milk, sugar, tapioca starch, yeast, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl until smooth. Cover with a lid. Let batter rest until air bubbles rise to the surface, about 2 hours. Stir well.
• Grease cake molds with oil. Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Place cake molds on top and pour batter into each, leaving 1 3/4 inches of space at the top for rising. Bring water to a boil. Cover and steam until a toothpick inserted into a cake comes out clean, about 10 minutes.

VIETNAMESE RICE CAKES IN BANANA LEAVES

Steps:

• 1. Place the sticky rice in a large bowl and cover it with 3 inches of water. Stir in the food coloring, if using, and let the rice soak overnight. (Once soaked, the rice will double to about 4 cups.) In a separate bowl, soak the mung beans for at least 4 hours. Drain both just before using and set aside in separate bowls. Add the salt to the rice and stir to blend.
• 2. Combine the shallots, fish sauce, black pepper and pork pieces and let marinate for 30 minutes.
• 3. Heat the oil in a frying pan over moderate heat. Add the pork pieces and all the marinade and stir just until the meat is brown around the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
• 4. Using a steamer basket, steam the mung beans until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• 5. To make the packet, neatly lay down the wrappers in this order: 1 sheet of plastic wrap (leave the other for use later), the aluminum foil, 2 sheets banana leaves (one perpendicular to the other). Place one cup of the rice in the center of the banana leaf, spreading it to cover a 5-inch square. Place half of the mung beans on top, then add the pork pieces. Cover with the remaining mung beans and place 1 cup of rice on top. Bring the narrow sides of the wrappers together. Fold the gathered edges over twice, then flatten against the packet. (You now have two open ends.) Fold one end over and hold the packet upright. Add half of the remaining rice, tapping it and pushing it down so the packet will be an even square. Fold the end over and repeat on the other side.
• 6. Place the packet with the folded sides down in the center of the remaining plastic sheet. Wrap tightly so that water will not seep into the packet during cooking.
• 7. Tightly tie the packet with two parallel strings in both directions (as in a tic-tac-toe pattern).
• 8. Fill a large stockpot with water. Add the packet and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Place a colander or something heavy on top of the packet to keep it submerged in the water. Cook uncovered until done, about 6 hours, adding more water if necessary. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 1 hour.
• 9. To serve, cut the packet (without unwrapping) into 1/2-inch slices. Remove the wrapping and arrange the slices on a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. If wrapped in plastic and refrigerated, the cake will keep for 1 week.