With Lunar New Year around the corner, it’s the perfect time to make Bánh Tét. You got to have them around for the festivities or fail as a Vietnamese adult.
Making Bánh Tét at home may seem daunting, but with this step-by-step guide, a little patience, practice, and maybe a bit of cursing, you too can impress Grandma and other family members.
Just remember, the wrapping is the only tricky part. If all fails, just wrap it haphazardly with a bunch of strings and cover with foil. You’re good.
This recipe includes both stove-top and pressure cooker instructions.
What is Bánh Tét?
Bánh Tét is Vietnamese savory glutinous rice cakes filled with pork belly and mung beans, wrapped in banana leaves.
It’s the quintessential Vietnamese and Chinese New Year (Tết) food.
These cylindrical bundles of sticky rice are not only delicious but also symbolize prosperity and good fortune in the coming year.
What You Will Need
To make Bánh Tét at home, gather the following ingredients and kitchen items:
- Pork Belly: Pork belly is readily available at Asian supermarkets and is typically sold as whole slabs or pre-sliced into strips. One slab usually weighs about 1½ lbs, which is perfect for this recipe. Traditional pork belly for Bánh Tét includes the skin, but the choice is yours. Skinless pork belly is a leaner option, and you can also substitute pork shoulder (also known as pork butt) for an even leaner version.
- Glutinous Rice: Glutinous rice is also commonly called sweet rice. When shopping, make sure the package says sweet rice, glutinous rice, or nếp (Vietnamese) to ensure you’re getting the correct type.
- Dried split mung beans: for the filling.
- Seasonings: To season the pork belly, we will be using shallots, salt, sugar, fish sauce, ground black pepper, and bouillon powder. I’m using chicken bouillon powder but you can also use mushroom bouillon powder. Don’t like bouillon powder? No problem. Just replace with halved amount of additional salt.
- Banana Leaves: You can typically find fresh banana leaves at Asian supermarkets. Look for them in the produce section. If fresh leaves are unavailable, some stores also offer frozen banana leaves. Thaw them before use.
- Large stock pot with a lid or pressure cooker: To cook the rice cakes, you can either use an 8-quart stock pot with a lid or an 8-quart pressure cooker. stovetop cooking will take about 7 hours. Pressure cooker will take 2 hours and 30 minutes, not including time to pressurize and depressurize. You might be able to use 6-quart pots but it may be tight.
- Strings: When tying the cakes, you can use cooking twine or those colorful plastic ropes commonly found in the houseware section of Asian supermarkets.
How to Make Banh Tet
Step 1: Overnight Preparations
Rinse the dried glutinous rice grains in a colander until water runs clear. Transfer to a mixing bowl and cover with water. Cover the bowl and let it soak overnight on the counter.
Repeat the same process for the dried mung beans. Drain and season with salt.
To remove surface impurities and any unwanted odor, generously rub the pork belly with coarse salt. Rinse thoroughly under running water to remove the salt and pat the pork belly dry with paper towels.
Season pork belly with salt, sugar, fish sauce, ground black pepper, shallots, and bouillon powder.
Thaw the banana leaves if frozen. Cut out 12 11×11-inch sheets. We will be using 3 sheets of banana leaves per Bánh Tét. If you have extras, keep them in case of tearing. Rinse sheets with hot water to clean. The hot water also makes them more pliable and less prone to tearing. Dry each sheet with paper towels.
Step 2: Banana Leaves and Filling
Arrange the banana leaves: Place two banana leaves with veins running horizontally. Place another banana leaf with the shiny side up (if you can tell) with veins running vertically. This arrangement imparts a beautiful light green color and banana leaf aroma to the rice cakes.
Add the filling: Start with some rice, mung beans, and pork belly. Then cover with more mung beans and rice.
Hold up the leaves and gently wrap everything up into a log.
Use temporary ties or rubber bands around the middle, if needed, to help hold the banana leaves together.
Stand the log upright by bending the leaves at one end, then add more rice to fill the end. Fold the banana leaves down neatly using four folds. Repeat the same process on the other end.
Step 3: Tying Banh Tet
To tie Banh Tet, follow the video tutorial below.
If tying gets too difficult, you can use multiple strings and make simple knots instead.
Step 4: Cooking Banh Tet
There are two ways to cook Banh Tet:
- Stove-Top Cooking: Boil Bánh Tét on the stovetop in a large covered stockpot on a medium-low simmer. Make sure they are always submerged in water to ensure even cooking. Use a large ceramic bowl or plate to weigh the cakes down if needed. Stovetop cooking will take about 7 hours. Check the water level occasionally and add water as needed.
- Pressure Cooker: You will need at least a 6-quart pressure cooker. I’m using an 8-quart InstantPot. Add Bánh Tét into the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Add water to the maximum fill line and pressure cook on high for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Once done, allow the pressure cooker to depressurize on its own (about 30 minutes). Once it’s safe to open the lid, remove Bánh Tét and wipe dry with paper towels. Allow them to cool to room temperature.
Step 5: Serving Banh Tet
Allow the rice cakes to cool to room temperature before slicing. Remove all the banana leaves and slice them into 2-inch coins.
Traditionally, it’s cut with a bamboo string. The string has no surface area that would cause sticking from the sticky rice. Some people use floss. Others use a fishing line. You can also use an oiled knife to prevent tearing.
The rice cakes can be enjoyed, as is, at room temperature. You can also pan-fry the slices in a bit of oil for a golden crunchy crust and enjoy it warm.
Serve it with Vietnamese Fermented Dried Daikon in Fish Sauce (Dưa Món) for the ultimate taste of Vietnamese Lunar New Year.
Storage & Reheating
Wrap the cooked Bánh Tét in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. They can be stored on the counter for 2-3 days, in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 8 months.
To reheat Bánh Tét, place slices on a microwave-safe plate. If the rice has hardened, cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until warmed through.
Alternatively, pan-fry in a little bit of neutral oil to heat it up and get a crispy crust (about two minutes per side on medium-low heat).
FAQs
What’s the difference between Bánh Tét, Bánh Chưng, and Bánh Ú?
Bánh Chưng and Bánh Ú are essentially Bánh Tét but in different shapes.
Bánh Tét is shaped into a log. Bánh Chưng is shaped into a square, and Bánh Ú is shaped into a pyramid.
Bánh Ú is typically much smaller, like a single-serving Bánh Tét.
Print
Bánh Tét for Lunar New Year (Vietnamese Sticky Rice Cakes with Pork Belly)
- Total Time: 13 hours
- Yield: 4 medium rice cakes 1x
Description
The quintessential Vietnamese Lunar New Year food. This bánh tét recipe makes four 7×3-inch cylindrical cakes with each cake yielding about 5 servings.
Ingredients
Pork Belly
- 1 1/2 lbs pork belly (skin-on preferred; slice into 4 strips)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely minced whites of scallions or shallots
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (optional but recommended)
Sweet Rice
- 5 cups sweet rice
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
Mung Beans
- 2 cups dried split mung beans
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
Banana Leaves
- 1 package (16 oz) banana leaves
Instructions
- Prepare pork belly: To remove surface impurities that may be causing unwanted odor, generously rub the pork belly with coarse salt (about 1 tablespoon). Rinse thoroughly under running water to remove the salt and pat pork belly dry with paper towels. Season pork belly with salt, sugar, fish sauce, ground black pepper, whites of scallions/shallots, and chicken bouillon powder.
- Prepare rice and mung beans: Rinse the dried glutinous rice grains in a colander until water runs clear. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add water to cover by 2 inches. Cover the bowl and let it soak overnight on the counter. Repeat the same process for the dried mung beans. When done soaking, drain both into separate bowls and season with respective amount of salt.
- Prepare banana leaves: Thaw the banana leaves if frozen. Cut out 12 11×11-inch sheets. We will be using 3 sheets of banana leaves per Bánh Tét. If you have extras, keep them handy in case of tearing. Rinse sheets with hot water to clean. The hot water also makes them more pliable and less prone to tearing. Dry each sheet with paper towels.
- Assembling: Arrange the leaves by placing two banana leaves with veins running horizontally. Place another banana leaf with the shiny side up (if you can tell) with veins running vertically. Then add the filling: Start with some rice (1/2 cup), mung beans (1/4 cup), and pork belly. Then cover with more mung beans (1/4 cup) and more rice (1/2 cup). Hold up the leaves and gently wrap everything up into a log. Use temporary ties or rubber bands around the middle, if needed, to help hold the banana leaves together. Stand the log upright by bending the leaves at one end, then add more rice (about 2 tablespoons) to fill the end. Fold the banana leaves down neatly using four folds. Repeat the same process on the other end.
- Tying Banh Tet: Follow the video tutorial in the blog post for how to tie Bánh Tét. If tying feels tricky, you can use multiple strings and make simple knots instead. Just keep in mind that there should be two vertical ties and three evenly spaced horizontal ties across the middle, or more if you prefer.
- Stove Top (Cooking Option 1): Boil Bánh Tét on the stove-top in a large covered stock pot (8 quarts) on a medium-low simmer. Make sure they are always submerged in water to ensure even cooking. Use a large ceramic bowl or plate to weigh the cakes down if needed. Stove-top cooking will take about 7 hours. Check the water level occasionally and add water as needed.
- Pressure Cooker (Cooking Option 2): Add the cakes into the inner pot of the pressure cooker (8-quarts). Add water to the maximum fill line and pressure cook on high for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Once done, allow the pressure cooker to depressurize on its own (about 30 minutes).
- Remove from pot: Carefully remove Bánh Tét from the hot water and dry with paper towels. Allow them to cool to room temperature.
- Serve: Remove all the banana leaves and slice them into 2-inch coins. Enjoy at room temperature or pan-fry the slices in a bit of oil for a golden crunchy crust. Serve it with Vietnamese Fermented Dried Daikon in Fish Sauce (Dưa Món) for the ultimate taste of Vietnamese Lunar New Year. Bánh Tét will keep well in the fridge for up to one week or freeze for up to 8 months.
- Prep Time: 10 hours, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours. 30 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese
