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Bánh chưng, a familiar dish in the traditional Tet holiday of Vietnamese people. But to have delicious and naturally green bánh chưng, not everyone knows how. So let's explore how to wrap tasty and visually appealing green bánh chưng for Tet with PasGo.
Ingredients needed to wrap bánh chưng
- Sticky rice: 2kg (choose the type of sticky rice with yellow flowers).
- Mung beans: 500 grams (choose fresh, yellow, and slightly wrinkled beans).
- Pork belly: 600 grams (choose meat with lean, evenly distributed fat, and thick).
- Dong leaves: 30 leaves (choose the type of narrow leaves).
- Raffia for tying bánh (choose a long strand of raffia).
- Seasonings: salt, pepper, broth powder. Bánh wrapping mold.
Ingredients for wrapping beautiful green bánh chưng
Steps to wrap green bánh chưng are as follows
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients for wrapping bánh chưng
First, soak the rice in water for about 2 hours to evenly soften it (avoid soaking rice until it's too brown because if soaked for too long, the rice will become sour and the grains will break). Soak the mung beans in cold water for about 2 hours until the beans are just swollen, then clean the beans thoroughly, removing all the skins, and continue to mix with a spoonful of salt.
Step 1 in how to wrap green bánh chưng
Step 2: Making delicious filling for bánh chưng
You continue to clean and slice the pork belly into small, long pieces about 5-7 cm in length and 1 cm thick. Then, you mix the sliced pork evenly with 1 teaspoon of pepper and 2 teaspoons of broth powder, and let it marinate for a few hours for the meat to absorb the seasoning.
Marinating the filling for bánh chưng
Step 3: Folding leaves to wrap bánh chưng
You soak the dong leaves in water for about 15 minutes, then wash and dry them. Then, fold the dong leaves in half lengthwise and fold them into quarters horizontally. You can use the stem of the dong leaf that is as long as the length of the mold, measuring from the folded part of the dong leaf to the leaf tip, and use scissors to cut off the excess leaf. For each bánh chưng, you will need to use 4 layers of dong leaves like this.
Cutting the leaves for wrapping bánh chưng
Step 4: You use raffia, arranged into a rectangular shape, then place the bánh mold on top. Continue to stack the dong leaves in order around the mold. When you stack the dong leaves, you should place the darker green sides inward and the lighter green sides outward. To make the darker side of the leaf come into contact with the rice, your bánh will be greener when peeled.
How to fold and wrap bánh chưng using wooden mold
Step 5: Take a small bowl, scoop rice (about 200 grams) into the mold, press and spread the rice evenly around the bottom of the mold, then pour the mung beans evenly on top of the rice, continue to place 2 pieces of pork on top of the beans, and use another handful of beans to evenly cover the pork (when spreading beans, leave about 1.5 cm, do not spread beans all the way to the edge of the mold). Then, scoop more rice evenly on top around and cover the beans completely. Use your hand to gently press the rice at the corners and the surface of the cake down.
How to fold and wrap bánh chưng using aluminum mold
Step 6: Finally, you just need to neatly fold the edges of the dong leaves, hold the leaves with your left hand to prevent them from loosening, use your right hand to remove the mold and put it on the wrist of your left hand. Then, switch your right hand to hold the leaves and remove the mold from your hand. Pull both ends of each raffia string to tie the cake together
How to wrap raffia string around bánh chưng
Step 7: Arrange bánh chưng in the pot
You arrange the bánh chưng one by one into the pot vertically, continue to pour water so that it slightly covers the top of the cake. While boiling the cake, if you find the water evaporating, you can add more boiling water to submerge the cake and continue boiling to ensure even cooking. (It's preferable to boil the cake on a wood stove for a richer and tastier flavor. If using a gas stove, bring the flame to high until the cake boils, then reduce the heat to allow the cake to cook thoroughly).
Cooking delicious bánh chưng
Step 8: How to boil delicious bánh chưng
You boil the cake for about 7 to 10 hours, then take it out and soak it in cold water. Wash off all the grease on the surface of the cake and let the cake dry
So there you have it, your own delicious and fragrant green bánh chưng made for the traditional Tet holiday.
Wishing you success with this method of wrapping green bánh chưng.
