5 Traditional Ways to Wrap Chung Cakes, Beautiful and Simple for Tet

When it comes to Tet, one cannot ignore our longstanding traditional dish, Chung cake. This familiar cake is beloved by everyone, but not everyone knows how to wrap it. In this article, Mytour will guide you through 5 simple ways to wrap Chung cakes that anyone can do at home.

Wrap Chung Cake with Banana Leaves

Wrap Chung Cake with Banana Leaves and Cardboard Cover

Wrapping Chung Cakes with Banana Leaves and Cardboard

For this method, you can easily follow these steps:

With just one cardboard box, you can wrap a square and beautiful Chung cake. After boiling, the Chung cake still maintains its original shape, so you can completely trust the cardboard wrapping method.

Wrapping Chung Cake with Banana Leaves without the Need for Strings

For this method, using 3 large and pliable banana leaves is essential. Steaming them makes them soft and sticky, ensuring better cake shaping. Follow these simple steps to wrap Chung Cake without the need for strings:

With care, fold each leaf into a rectangle. If there is excess leaf, trim it or tuck it inside the cake. Press each fold tightly to create a square and neat shape. Secure the cake with strings tied in two perpendicular lines for a firm hold.

Wrap Chung Cake with Dong Leaves

Wrap Chung Cake with Dong Leaves Using a Mold

To wrap the cake with dong leaves is quite similar to using banana leaves. Here are the specific simple steps:

Firstly, soak the sticky rice and mung beans in cold water for about 2 hours to soften the ingredients. Next, clean and slice the marinated pork into bite-sized pieces. Season the meat with 2 tablespoons of seasoning, 1 tablespoon of pepper, mix well, and let it marinate for approximately 30 minutes. Clean and dry the dong leaves, fold them in half vertically and fold them into four horizontally. For each complete Chung cake, you will need about four layers of leaves.

How to Wrap Traditional Chung Cake with Dong Leaves Without a Mold

The preparation steps for leaves and filling are similar to wrapping with banana leaves, but the wrapping process has a slight difference as follows: 

• Step 1: Arrange 4 square dong leaves, with 2 leaves placed underneath with the lighter side down, and 2 leaves placed on top with the darker side up.
• Step 2: Place 1 cup of glutinous rice in the middle of the dong leaves and spread it evenly. Place a green bean paste ball with pork filling inside and cover it with a layer of glutinous rice. 
• Step 3: Use your hands to fold the dong leaves firmly, folding any excess leaves to conceal. Then, fold the remaining leaf parts to make it neat and square.

• Step 4: Prepare 4 flat strings, tie them parallel to prevent the leaves from spreading. Then connect 2 strings at right angles to each other, use your hands to press on all 4 corners of the cake to secure it.
• Step 5: Next, place it on the table to ensure the cake is firm and complete. 

Handcrafted Technique for Making Small Chung Cakes

If you prefer smaller-sized cakes, you can wrap them to a convenient bite size using the following steps: 

• Step 1: Soak glutinous rice and green beans in cold water and squeeze evenly with a pinch of salt. 
• Step 2: Clean the meat, cut it into medium-sized pieces, and marinate the meat with pepper, seasoning seeds, and salt. 
• Step 3: Wash dong leaves or banana leaves and proceed to wrap the cake. Place 4 leaves so that they are perpendicular to each other, with 2 leaves underneath facing up with the lighter side, and 2 leaves on top facing down. 
• Step 4: Add green beans, glutinous rice, and pork in the middle of the leaves, press lightly to evenly spread the filling. 

• Step 5: Fold the right and left sides firmly, squeeze the edges on both sides, and gently pat the chung cake to make it neat and visually appealing.
• Step 6: Use 2 flat strings to secure the cake, and it's done. 

How to Boil Fresh Green Chung Cake

When boiling the cake, pay attention to the water level in the pot, continuously add water to cover the cake's surface. Remember to bring the water to a boil before placing the cake, or it will expand and not cook through. Especially, if you want an appealing green color, grind banana leaves finely and add them to the boiling water. Additionally, lining the pot with banana leaves at the bottom is a technique many people use. After the cake is cooked, let it sit in the pot for about 2 hours until the water temperature cools before removing. Clean off any residue and use a heavy object to press out excess water, ensuring the cake is firm and elastic.

Quick Techniques for Slicing Chung Cake

A remarkably simple way to cut Chung Cake; just use two flat strings for a tidy and clean cut. First, remove all the layers of leaves from one side of the cake, place two flat strings perpendicular and lay them on a plate. Then, peel off the leaves from the remaining part of the cake. Finally, use your hands to grasp both ends of each string and exert force to cut through the cake's body. If you want to cut it into multiple portions, add more strings; you'll easily get a beautifully divided Chung Cake.

Proper Preservation Techniques for Long-Lasting and Delicious Chung Cake

Chung Cakes are often wrapped and boiled in large quantities during the Tet holiday. Partly for consumption and partly for gifting. Therefore, improper storage can lead to mold, spoilage, and unpleasant odors. Traditional Chung Cakes usually have a shelf life of 10 days if you follow the correct steps from preparing banana leaves or marinating the meat. 

To extend the shelf life of the cakes, the only method is to store them in the refrigerator's cool compartment. When ready to eat, simply steam them for a few minutes. Additionally, for longer-term storage, vacuum-seal the cakes and place them in the freezer compartment. 

Chung cake is a delicious dish, carrying a rich flavor that is indispensable during the Tet holiday season in Vietnamese households. Wrapping chung cakes comes in various ways. Even without specialized molds, following the steps provided by Mytour in the article makes it easy to cook square, firm, and delicious cakes.