Bahn chung, or steamed cake, is a traditional Vietnamese dish made from pork, glutinous rice and mung beans. You can find the ingredients to make bahn chung at most Asian markets. If you cannot find a particular ingredient, ask the market to order it for you. You will need 12 hours to allow the beans and rice to soak and approximately seven hours to cook bahn chung.
Step 1
Pour the glutinous rice and mung beans into separate small mixing bowls and cover each with 2 inches of cool water. Let the beans and rice soak for 12 hours at room temperature.
Step 2
Combine the soaked mung beans and salt in a medium pot. Cover with 5 inches of water, and place the pot over high heat. Boil for 45 minutes and drain off the water. Smash the mung beans with a potato masher.
Step 3
Lay two phrynium leaves facing in the same direction, horizontally, slightly overlapping each other. Lay two more leaves, vertically over the first pair, slightly overlapping. Lay the remaining two leaves facing horizontally over the second layer, slightly overlapping. The leaves should form a cross shape with the first and third layers sharing the same outline.
Step 4
Spoon half of the soaked rice onto the center of the leaves and top with half of the mashed mung beans. Spoon the pork over the mung beans. Layer the remaining mung beans and rice over the pork, completing the cake.
Step 5
Fold the layers of leaves tightly around the cake, one at a time starting with the innermost, to form a square shape. Use kitchen twine to secure the leaves.
Step 6
Preheat a steamer to "high" and place the cake in it. Steam the cake for seven hours, adding more water to the steamer when necessary.
Step 7
Remove the cake from the pot and place it under cold, running water for five minutes. Cut away the twine and serve the banh chung immediately. Alternatively, keep the banh chung in a cool, dry place for up to one week.
Tips and Warnings
- You can season the pork with salt, pepper, green onion or any of your favorite meat seasonings. Substitute banana leaves for the phrynium leaves if you cannot locate them.
Things You'll Need
- 1 cup glutinous rice
- 1/2 cup dried mung beans
- Two small mixing bowls
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Medium pot
- Potato masher
- Six phrynium leaves
- 2/3 cup cooked pulled pork
- Kitchen twine
- Steamer
References
- "Authentic Vietnamese Cooking"; Corinne Trang; 1999
- "Lonely Planet World Food Vietnam"; Richard Sterling; 2000
- "Vietnamese Home Cooking"; Robert Carmack and Didier Corlou; 2003
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