Vietnamese Sticky Rice Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups glutinous rice
• ½ pound pork belly
• ½ cup mung beans (split, dried)
• 4 large pieces banana leaves
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 piece kitchen twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the 2 cups glutinous rice and 0.5 cup mung beans separately; soak rice in water for 4 hours and beans for 1 hour, then drain.

2. 2

   Cut the 0.5 pound pork belly into 1-inch pieces; marinate with 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp salt, and 0.5 tsp black pepper for 15 minutes.

3. 3

   Rinse the 4 banana leaves, pat dry, and soften over a low flame for 30 seconds per side until pliable.

4. 4

   Layer two banana leaves crosswise; spread half the rice in a square, top with all the mung beans and pork, then cover with remaining rice.

5. 5

   Fold the leaves over to enclose the filling tightly, forming a square packet; tie securely with kitchen twine.

6. 6

   Place the packet in a steamer; steam over boiling water for 45 minutes, until the rice is translucent and tender when pierced with a skewer.

7. 7

   Remove from steamer, let rest 10 minutes, then unwrap and slice into squares. Serve warm.

Tools you’ll need

• Steamer
• Large bowl
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Skewer

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