Bánh Chưng (Vietnamese Square Sticky Rice Cake for Tết)

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice and soak it in cold water with 1 teaspoon of the salt for 8 to 10 hours. Soak the mung beans in cold water for 2 hours. Drain both well and leave them in a colander for 30 minutes before assembling.
2. Steam the drained mung beans for 25 minutes, until soft. Mash them coarsely with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and shape into 8 flattened pieces.
3. Toss the pork with the shallots, fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of the pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Marinate for 30 minutes. Mix the drained rice with the remaining salt and pepper.
4. Wipe the banana leaves and trim off the stiff central ribs. For each cake, lay 2 leaves in a cross, shiny side up. Spread one eighth of the rice into a 12 cm (5 in) square in the center.
5. Add a piece of mung bean, 2 pieces of pork and another piece of mung bean, then cover with another eighth of the rice, so the filling is fully enclosed.
6. Fold the leaves over the filling like a package, pressing it into a neat square with sharp corners. Tie it tightly with string in a cross.
7. Line a large pot with spare leaves, stack the cakes inside and cover with water by 5 cm (2 in). Weigh them down with a plate. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 6 hours, topping up with boiling water so they stay submerged.
8. Lift out the cakes and drain. Press them under a heavy board for 3 to 4 hours so they firm up. Unwrap, cut into slices and serve with pickled vegetables.

Tips

• Use fatty pork belly with plenty of pepper, because the fat melts into the rice as it cooks. Frozen banana leaves, sold in Asian grocery stores, work well once thawed and wiped.
• Keep the cakes covered with water for the full cooking time. A large pressure cooker can cut the cooking time to about 2 hours.