Celebrate Tết or Lunar New Year in style with this bánh chưng recipe! These Vietnamese sticky rice cakes are wrapped with banana leaves and filled with savory yellow mung beans and umami flavored fatty pork belly.
Celebrate Tết or Lunar New Year with this authentic and traditional bánh chưng! These Vietnamese sticky rice cakes are wrapped with banana leaves and filled with savory yellow mung beans and umami-flavored fatty pork belly.
This savory umami treat is perfect to ring in the Lunar New Year!
Chúc mừng năm mới! Happy Lunar New Year! This year is the year of the Tiger which represents strength and courage. That means it is the best time to face your fears in the kitchen and tackle this seemingly daunting yet quintessential Vietnamese Lunar New Year recipe. For my family, there is no tết without bánh chưng, red envelopes, and a little fun gambling. Every year, I look forward to these beautiful light green sticky rice cakes that are filled with savory mung beans and marinated pork belly. I usually eat them every day for about a week straight with a side of cha lua (Vietnamese cold cuts) and pickled vegetables. YUM.
If you want to check out my other Lunar New Year recipes, make sure to check out my Thit Kho (Vietnamese Caramelized Braised Pork Ribs and Eggs) and my pineapple tarts! This recipe will guide you step-by-step on how to prepare the ingredients, how to wrap the banh chung, and how to cook it. I laid out all of my tips and tricks below!
The fresh banana leaf wrapping gives Banh chưng its iconic look.
What is Banh Chung?
Banh chưng (pronounced baan chuhng) is the most traditional cake in the Vietnamese food culture. They are normally available all year but during Tet or Lunar New Year they are seen in every family gathering.
Bánh Chưng represents the earth. In ancient times, they believed the earth was a square and created banh chung to reflect the earth’s shape.
This Vietnamese sticky rice cake is wrapped in layers of fresh banana leaves which gives the rice its green-tinted color. When you take a bite into the sticky rice you are greeted with mashed seasoned mung beans and umami flavored pork belly.
An unwrapped Banh chưng (Vietnamese sticky rice cake) ready to be enjoyed.
Kitchen Equipment For This Recipe
Mixing bowls: you will need a variety of mixing bowls to soak the rice, mung beans and marinated meat overnight. I used my duralex nesting glass bowls for this.
Fine Mesh Sieve: you will need a fine mesh sieve to strain the rice and mung beans
Potato Masher: you need a potato masher to mash the mung beans.
Square Molds: You will need to make or buy 4×4 inches wide and 2 inches deep square molds that are holo on both ends. I made mine out of cardboard and tape.
Large Pot: You will need a large enough pot to fit four 4x4x2 inch banh chung. I used a 7 quart pot for this recipe.
Small Circle Wire Rack: you will need a small circle wire rack that fits inside your pot to lift the banh chung from the bottom of the pot to prevent it from burning. I used a 6-inch wire rack.
Banana Leaves: you will use banana leaves to assemble the banh chung. They are also used to line the bottom of your pan to prevent them from burning. You can find banana leaves in the frozen section of your local Chinese or Vietnamese grocery store.
Tape and String: you will need tape and string to assemble the sticky rice cakes to to keep them from falling apart when you boil them. You will remove the tape after you tie on the string.
Ingredients
This recipe does not require any difficult or hard-to-find ingredients. You can find everything below at your local Vietnamese or Chinese grocery store.
Sticky Rice: or sweet rice or glutinous rice these are the other names they may be called. You will need to thoroughly rinse out all the starches from the grains to prevent them from being overly sticky. Sticky rice must be soaked for a minimum of 8 hours, preferably overnight so that they will have even cooking. I love using Koda farms sticky rice the texture always comes out delicious.
Pork Belly: the protein in this dish. The pork belly fat and juices seep into the mung bean and sticky rice giving this banh chung a delicious moist texture and flavor.
Peeled Split Mung beans: you will need peeled split mung beans for this dish and they will need to be soaked overnight as well. They are typically yellow and you can find peeled mung beans online or in the dry goods section at your local Asian market.
Salt and Pepper: salt and pepper season the rice, mung beans and pork belly.
Sugar: the sugar balances out all the salty components of the dish by giving it a subtle sweetness.
Chicken Bouillon Powder: Chicken Bouillon powder flavors the mung beans and the pork belly and gives it a delicious savory flavor. You can find chicken bouillon powder online or at your local grocery store.
Fish Sauce: fish sauce give the pork belly their delicious umami flavor. You can buy fish sauce online or at your local Asian grocery store.
Shallots: the shallots are used to marinate the pork belly and season the mung beans.
How To Make Banh Chung
This recipe for bánh chưng may seem lengthy and difficult but it is rather simple. All you need to do is prepare the rice, mung beans, and pork belly, assemble and boil.
Day Before
Make a square mold out of cardboard: Create a mold out of cardboard. I made mine about 4×4 inches wide and 2 inches high.
Expert tip: If using cardboard, completely wrap the carboard in tape to prevent it from getting soggy.
Soak sticky rice. Wash the sticky rice until the water turns clear. Soak the sweet rice with salt and enough water to cover the rice over night.
Important: Sticky rice MUST be soaked overnight to fully hydrate it.
Marinate the pork belly. Slice the pork belly into about 1/4 inch thick slices. Marinate the pork with salt, sugar, chicken powder, pepper, fish sauce and shallots in the refrigerator overnight.
Expert tip: Marinating the pork belly instead of leaving it plain maximized the Banh chưng flavor.
Soak the mung beans. Wash the mung beans until the water turns clear. Soak the mung beans with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and enough water to cover the rice in the refrigerator overnight.
The mung beans need to soak prior to cooking them for this recipe.
Day Of
Prepare the Rice and Mung Beans
Strain the rice. Strain the water from the rice. Set aside.
Boil the mung beans. Strain the mung beans. In a medium pot, fill halfway with water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and mung beans. Heat on high until it boils. When the water boils, turn the heat down to simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until softened. Then strain the water and mash the mung beans.
Saute the shallots. In a large skillet or wok, heat 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable on high heat. Add the shallots and saute for 2 minutes on high and then reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until caramelized and tender about 10-15 minutes.
Mix together. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the salt, sugar, pepper, chicken powder, caramelized shallots and mashed mung beans. Set aside.
How to fold Bánh Chưng video
How to assemble (image-guided)
Line the mold with banana leaves. Line the mold with at least 4-6 strips of banana leaves (~4x 12 inches) layering them in alternative directions like a cross. Make sure to leave 2 inches of banana leaf above the mold to seal the banh chung later. Then using 4 thinner strips (~2×10 inches) line the inside of the mold to seal the corners.
Alternate lining the cardboard mold with large strips then line the inside corners with smaller strips.
Add the rice. Add an even layer of sticky rice, about 1/2 of an inch.
Create the base layer with about a half-inch of sticky rice.
Layer the mung beans and meat. Layer an even 1/4 inch layer of mung beans. Make sure to leave 1/4 inch of space around the edges for the rice. Layer the pork belly on top of the mung bean layer. Lastly, layer another even 1/4 inch layer of mung beans.
On the sticky rice layer mung bean, pork belly, then mung bean in the center of the mold.
Fill with rice. Fill in the edges and the top 1/2 inch with sticky rice.
Enclose the filling with more sticky rice.
Fold the leaves over and wrap with string. Using alternating strips, fold the leaves over tightly. Seal with a piece of tape and tightly wrap the banh chung with string like a present. Make sure to wrap the string along the edges as well to keep it all together. See video.
Watch this to see how to fold and tie this Banh chưng.
Cook the Bánh Chưng
On the left is an uncooked Bánh Chưng and an expanded fully cooked one on the right.
In a large pot, if possible, place a small wire rack at the bottom of the pot, then line 3-4 layers of banana leaves on top of the wire rack covering the entire rack. Add the banh chung and fill the pot with enough water to cover. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the pot to a boil on high heat. Once it boils, turn the heat down to medium low heat and simmer for about 7 hours. Every two hours add boiling water in the pot to make sure the water level is always covering the banh chung.
Serve after 30 minutes. Take the banh chung out of the pot and let it cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then serve with chả lụa (Vietnamese cold cuts) and pickled vegetables. If you are not serving it right away, dry the banana leaves and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store the bánh chưng in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To reheat simply place them in the microwave with the banana leaf still wrapped around it. It may take up to 5-6 minutes depending on the heat of your microwave to thoroughly heat and soften the bánh chưng.
The Vietnamese sticky rice cakes are best served fresh but can also be stored for later.
Tips For The Best Banh Chung
Plan ahead. This recipe takes a bit of time so it is important that you plan ahead. Remember to soak the rice and mung beans and marinate the pork the night before. This is so that the rice and mung beans will be evenly cooked when they are boiled. Moreover, the pork belly needs time for the flavors to soak into the meat.
You can make a square mold out of cardboard and tape. The mold does not have to be fancy it just needs to be functional. The molds are necessary to shape the banana leaves and stuff the filling inside.
Make sure to saute the shallots slowly and with enough oil to prevent from burning. When you saute the shallots for the mung bean mixture it is important that you coat the shallots with enough oil to prevent them from burning. Sauteeing low and slow will yield beautifully caramelized and full flavored shallots.
Cut out the banana leaves in advance before assembling. You may need a ruler and scissors to precisely cut the banana leaves to fit your mold. It helps to cut out all the strips you will need before you begin assembling them.
When boiling the banh chung, make sure it stays under the water and not floating to the surface. You may need to periodically press out all the air using a wooden spoon inside the banh chung so that they stop floating to the surface. They need to be submerged to cook evenly throughout.
Storage Instructions
You can store any leftover bánh chưng still wrapped in the banana leaves and with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Alternatively, you can wrap the banh chung with aluminum foil and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. You will need to thaw them in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat Instructions
The sticky rice will harden in the refrigerator but don’t worry. You can simply re-heat the banh chung in the microwave inside the banana leaves.
Alternatively, you can place the banh chung in a pot and add enough water to cover it by about 1-2 inches. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. If it floats to the top, flip the banh chung over halfway for even cooking.
Frequently Asked Q’s and A’s
What is the difference between banh chung vs. banh tet?
The biggest difference between banh chung and banh tet is the shape of the sticky rice cake. Banh tet has a cylindrical shape that is about a foot long whereas Banh chung has a square cube shape that is normally a foot wide. The central and southern regions of Vietnam typically eat banh tet and the Northern region eats banh chung. Both cakes contain sticky rice, mung beans, and pork belly and are wrapped in banana leaves.
How to thaw frozen bánh chưng?
You can thaw a frozen bánh chưng in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat simply place the banh chung in a pot and add enough water to cover by about 1-2 inches. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. If it floats to the top, flip the banh chung over halfway for even cooking.
What do you eat with bánh chưng?
Typically, banh chung is enjoyed with chả lụa or Vietnamese cold cuts typically found in banh mi, and pickled vegetables. You can eat it steamed or pan-fried.
How to chien (pan fry) banh chung?
To pan-fry or chien banh chung, you will need to re-heat the sticky rice cake so that it is soft. Then heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil on medium-high on a large skillet and press the banh chung onto the skillet with the potato masher. Keep pressing until it is an even layer. Pan-fry it on one side until it is golden brown then flip it with a spatula and cook it on the other side until golden brown.
Try chien Banh chưng (pan-fried sticky rice cake) for a great layer of crispiness.
Celebrate Tết or Lunar New Year in style with this bánh chưng recipe! These Vietnamese sticky rice cakes are wrapped with banana leaves and filled with savory yellow mung beans and umami flavored fatty pork belly.
2packs of banana leaves1 for assembly and 1 for the pot
4x4x2 inch molds
Tape
String
Instructions
Day Before
Make a square mold out of cardboard: Create a mold out of cardboard. I made mine about 4×4 inches wide and 2 inches high.
Soak sticky rice. Wash the sticky rice until the water turns clear. Soak the sweet rice with salt and enough water to cover the rice over night.
Marinate the pork belly. Slice the pork belly into about 1/4 inch thick slices. Marinate the pork with salt, sugar, chicken powder, pepper, fish sauce and shallots in the refrigerator overnight.
Soak the mung beans. Wash the mung beans until the water turns clear. Soak the mung beans with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and enough water to cover the rice in the refrigerator overnight.
Day Of
Strain the rice. Strain the water from the rice. Set aside.
Boil the mung beans. Strain the mung beans. In a medium pot, fill halfway with water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and mung beans. Heat on high until it boils. When the water boils, turn the heat down to simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until softened. Then strain the water and mash the mung beans.
Saute the shallots. In a large skillet or wok, heat 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable on high heat. Add the shallots and saute for 2 minutes on high and then reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until caramelized and tender about 10-15 minutes.
Mix together. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the salt, sugar, pepper, chicken powder, caramelized shallots and mashed mung beans. Set aside.
Assembly
Line the mold with banana leaves. Line the mold with at least 4-6 strips of banana leaves (~4x 12 inches) layering them in alternative directions like a cross. Make sure to leave 2 inches of banana leaf above the mold to seal the banh chung later. Then using 4 thinner strips (~2×10 inches) line the inside of the mold to seal the corners.
Add the rice. Add an even layer of sticky rice, about 1/2 of an inch.
Layer the mung beans and meat. Layer an even 1/4 inch layer of mung beans. Make sure to leave 1/4 inch of space around the edges for the rice. Layer the pork belly on top of the mung bean layer. Lastly, layer another even 1/4 inch layer of mung beans.
Fill with rice. Fill in the edges and the top 1/2 inch with sticky rice.
Fold the leaves over and wrap with string. Using alternating strips, fold the leaves over tightly. Seal with a piece of tape and tightly wrap the banh chung with string like a present. Make sure to wrap the string along the edges as well to keep it all together. See video.
Cook the Banh Chung
In a large pot, if possible, place a small wire rack at the bottom of the pot, then line 3-4 layers of banana leaves on top of the wire rack covering the entire rack. Add the banh chung and fill the pot with enough water to cover. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the pot to a boil on high heat. Once it boils, turn the heat down to medium low heat and simmer for about 7 hours. Every two hours add boiling water in the pot to make sure the water level is always covering the banh chung.
Serve after 30 minutes. Take the banh chung out of the pot and let it cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then serve with chả lụa (Vietnamese cold cuts) and pickled vegetables. If you are not serving it right away, dry the banana leaves and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store the bánh chưng in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To re-heat simply place them in the microwave with the banana leaf still wrapped on. It may take up to 5-6 minutes depending on the heat of your microwave to thoroughly heat and soften the bánh chưng.
Video
Notes
Plan ahead. This recipe takes a bit of time so it is important that you plan ahead. Remember to soak the rice and mung beans and marinate the pork the night before. This is so that the rice and mung beans will be evenly cooked when they are boiled. Moreover, the pork belly needs time for the flavors to soak into the meat.
You can make a square mold out of cardboard and tape. The mold does not have to be fancy it just needs to be functional. The molds are necessary to shape the banana leaves and stuff the filling inside.
Make sure to saute the shallots slowly and with enough oil to prevent them from burning. When you saute the shallots for the mung bean mixture it is important that you coat the shallots with enough oil to prevent them from burning. Sauteeing low and slow will yield beautifully caramelized and full-flavored shallots.
Cut out the banana leaves in advance before assembling the banh chung. You may need a ruler and scissors to precisely cut the banana leaves to fit your mold. It helps to cut out all the strips you will need before you begin assembling them.
When boiling the banh chung, make sure it stays under the water and does not float to the surface. You may need to periodically press out all the air using a wooden spoon inside the banh chung so that they stop floating to the surface. They need to be submerged to cook evenly throughout.
Storage InstructionsYou can store any leftover bánh chưng still wrapped in the banana leaves and with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.Alternatively, you can wrap the banh chung with aluminum foil and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. You will need to thaw them in the refrigerator before reheating.Reheat InstructionsThe sticky rice will harden in the refrigerator but don’t worry. You can simply re-heat the banh chung in the microwave inside the banana leaves.Alternatively, you can place the banh chung in a pot and add enough water to cover it by about 1-2 inches. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. If it floats to the top, flip the banh chung over halfway for even cooking.
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