Banh La Dua (Ben Tre Coconut Leaf Cakes with Banana), No Added Refined Sugar
Sweets and drinksSteamed CakesVietnamAbout 9 hours, of which 6 hours is boiling the cakes
The wrapping style of Ben Tre lives in banh la dua. Glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, a sweet chuoi xiem banana center, all rolled inside a tube of coconut leaf. The hard part is rolling that tube tight without tearing the leaf.
Each cake takes about 2 leaves, with the base of a leaf folded back about 5cm and pinned with a toothpick to form the bottom. The rice is packed just enough, neither tight nor loose, and 6 hours of boiling is what makes it dense and chewy.
This batch weighs about 21.2kg, at roughly 94 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 2kg glutinous rice several times until clean and drain it. Soak 150g white beans for about 3 to 4 hours until soft, or overnight, then rinse them again.
Peel 20 chuoi xiem bananas and pull off the strings. Marinate the bananas with 100g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1 teaspoon salt for about 2 hours so they take up the sweetness and release some liquid. Then cut each banana in half lengthwise or crosswise.
Trim the hard rib along the spine of the coconut leaves and wipe the surfaces clean. Fold the base of a leaf back about 5cm and pin it with a toothpick to form the bottom of the cake.
Roll the rest of the leaf around the pinned piece, evenly and tightly but without tearing it. As the first leaf runs out, join the second and keep rolling to the end. Pin the pointed end with a toothpick so the tube holds. Each cake takes about 2 leaves.
Set a pan on the heat, add the drained rice, pour in 1 liter coconut milk little by little and stir over low heat. Cook until the grains have absorbed all the coconut milk, turned soft and slightly thickened, then turn off the heat. While the rice is still warm, stir in 150g white beans.
Spoon a little of the rice and bean mixture into the bottom of the leaf tube, leave a hollow in the middle, set in a piece of banana, then cover it with more rice and fill the tube. Pack the rice just enough, neither too tight nor too loose.
Tie both ends of the tube closed. Use 4 lengths of string per cake: two tied around the body, and two more running lengthwise with the cake standing upright, pulled tight.
Arrange the cakes in a large pot and cover them completely with water. Bring to a boil, lower to medium heat and boil for about 6 hours, topping up with boiling water often so the cakes stay submerged.
Lift the cakes out and hang them somewhere airy to drain, cool and firm up.
Tips
Choose chuoi xiem bananas just ripe, with speckled dark skin rather than an even yellow.
Stir the rice with the coconut milk until every grain has absorbed it and the mixture thickens slightly, then take it off the heat.
Pack the rice just enough, since too tight leaves the cake chalky and too loose leaves it mushy.
Six hours of boiling with frequent topping up keeps the cakes submerged throughout.
Hanging the cakes somewhere airy lets them drain, cool and firm up.
Drain off the liquid the bananas give up over their 2 hours of seasoning, because any left makes the filling sour and the cakes spoil quickly.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.