Banh chung(bánh chưng)[餅蒸] is a sticky rice cake from northern Vietnam wrapped with leaves in a square shape. Banh chung is usually filled with mung bean and pork. This simple version uses sticky rice and mung bean though no pork.

Banh chung is traditionally eaten for Tết or lunar new year, also known as Vietnamese New Year. It is traditionally made at home with everyone taking part. In addition to being enjoyed at family meals during Tet, banh chung is also placed on family altars as an offering to respect ancestors.

It is said that bang chung was created before 1600BC. Hùng Vương, the king at the time, issued a competition to see who among his eighteen sons could make the best delicacy to honor their ancestors. The king’s youngest and poorest son, prince Lang Liêu, used simple ingredients symbolic of his ancestors’ hard work: rice and mung beans, which had already been domesticated, transported, and used for generations.

Lang Liêu created two types of rice cakes: Bánh chưng is square and green to represents the earth; bánh giầy is round and white to represent the sky. The king was very impressed with these tasty and meaningful dishes from Lang Liêu. As a reward, Lang Liêu became heir to the throne and went on to be a great ruler. Banh chung became a Tet tradition that continues to this day.

Banh chung is traditionally wrapped with dong leaf(lá dong), but banana leaf is also common today. A mold can be helpful for keeping the shape while wrapping. Usually banh chung are anywhere from four to six inches square and the height is half the width.

Usually, pork pieces are placed inside the mung bean filling; this recipe omits pork for a vegan variant.

Mung beans can be steamed in a pot with just enough water to cover, similar to cooking rice. They can even be added directly into the cake without steaming and mashing first but will not be as creamy.

The wrapped cakes need to be boiled for several hours. A pot with many banh chung may take 12 hours to cook. The following recipe is for a smaller quantity and takes less time, but adjust quantity and time as needed.

An unwrapped banh chung is usually divided into eight triangular pieces with a string. It can be served as is with sauce or pickled onion. It can even be grilled until crispy.

Recipe

4 cakes

Ingredients

• 4 cup split mung bean, soaked overnight
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper (optional)
• 4 cup sticky rice, soaked overnight
• dong leaf(lá dong) or banana leaf
• string

Directions

• steam mung bean until soft, 20-30 minutes
• mash mung bean, salt, pepper
• arrange leaves
• layer sticky rice, mung bean mixture, more sticky rice
• wrap tightly and tie with string
• boil 6-8 hours (keep submerged; add water as necessary)
• let cool
• when ready to serve, open leaves and arrange strings on top; flip; pull strings tight through cake to slice
• serve