Vietnamese

Bánh Tét (Cylindrical Sticky Rice Cake)

Name: Bánh Tét (Cylindrical Sticky Rice Cake)
Total time: 720 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 3 lbs glutinous sticky rice, soaked overnight; 1 lb split mung beans, soaked and steamed; 1 lb fatty pork belly, cut into thick logs; 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp black pepper; 1 cup coconut milk (optional, for the rice); Banana leaves, wiped clean and softened over a flame; Long bamboo or cotton strings

The Southern equivalent of Bánh Chưng, rolled into a cylinder.

720 minutes

Serves 12

Main

Contains common allergens

Fish Dairy Seafood

In the app, Listahan checks these against your household automatically.

Instructions

6 steps

1
Prepare Components: Drain the rice and mix with a little salt (and coconut milk if using). Mash the steamed mung beans. Marinate the pork belly logs with fish sauce and black pepper.

2
Form the Core: Take a handful of mashed mung beans and mold it completely around a log of marinated pork belly, creating a long, yellow cylinder.
3
Assemble: Lay out several layers of overlapping banana leaves. Spread a thick, even rectangle of sticky rice in the center. Place the mung bean/pork cylinder in the middle of the rice.
4
Roll: Carefully bring the edges of the banana leaves together, rolling the rice tightly around the filling to form a perfectly round log. Ensure no filling is exposed.
5
Fold and Tie: Fold the ends of the leaves in neatly to seal the cylinder. Tie the log very tightly with strings spaced about 1 inch apart to prevent water from seeping in during boiling.
6
Boil: Submerge the cakes in a large pot of boiling water. Boil continuously for 8-10 hours, replenishing with hot water as needed. Remove, press slightly to drain, and let cool before slicing into rounds.

Unlock the full recipe

Get every step for Bánh Tét (Cylindrical Sticky Rice Cake) — plus exact amounts and 2,000+ more recipes — with Listahan Pro.

Unlock in app Get Listahan free

30-day free trial · cancel anytime

Plan it in Listahan

Add Bánh Tét (Cylindrical Sticky Rice Cake) to your week, check it against your household's allergens, and build the shopping list automatically.

Open in app iOS (Beta) Android (Beta)

More Vietnamese recipes

Vietnamese

Phở Bò (Beef Noodle Soup)

Traditional Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and beef.

360 min Serves 12

Fish Seafood Wheat

Vietnamese

Bánh Mì (Vietnamese Baguette Sandwich)

A short baguette with thin, crisp crust and soft, airy texture, filled with savory ingredients.

20 min Serves 3

Egg

Vietnamese

Gỏi Cuốn (Spring Rolls)

Fresh spring rolls packed with greens, coriander, and various combinations of minced pork, shrimp or crab.

45 min Serves 3 Kid-safe

Dairy Peanut Seafood +2

Browse all Vietnamese recipes