Sweets and drinksSteamed CakesVietnam120 minutes preparation, 4 to 5 hours boiling, plus 5 to 6 hours soaking the rice
Banh tet chuoi gives slices of chewy glutinous rice tinted green with pandan, wrapped around a deep red core of banana. What makes it good is stir frying the rice with coconut milk before wrapping. The hard part is the wrapping and tying, since a loose roll gives a crooked log that takes on water as it boils.
Stop stir frying as soon as the grains begin to stick together, since rice cooked too soft makes a mushy log. The rice and beans go 15 minutes together before the coconut milk and pandan extract are poured in.
This batch weighs about 2.9kg, at roughly 225 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 1kg glutinous rice 4 to 5 times until the water runs clear, soak it for 5 to 6 hours until soft, then drain it in a colander.
Peel 12 ripe saba bananas, pull off the strings, and toss them with 3 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon white rice wine, turning them gently.
Rinse 500g black beans or red beans, pick out the empty ones, boil until soft and lift them out to cool.
Rinse 3 large pandan leaves, cut them into lengths, blend with a little water and squeeze through cloth for the green extract. Rinse 5 banana leaves, wilt them until soft, then tear them into pieces about 30 by 40cm and 6 by 20cm.
Tip the rice and beans into a heavy pan and stir fry over medium heat for about 15 minutes, then pour in 100ml thick coconut milk and the pandan extract, stirring constantly until evenly absorbed. Let it cool slightly.
Lay out the banana leaves, spread a layer of rice and beans, place the bananas in the middle, roll it tightly, tie it with string to hold the shape, then fold and tie both ends and wrap string evenly around the log.
Stack the logs in a cast iron pot, cover them with water and boil for 4 to 5 hours, topping up with warm water as the level drops.
Lift the cooked logs out, soak them in cold water, then hang them to drain. To serve, use the bamboo string itself to cut them into rounds.
Tips
Stop stir frying the rice the moment the grains start to cling together, as going further makes the cake mushy.
Choose banana leaves of similar size so the logs come out even and neat.
Wilt the banana leaves until soft so they roll without tearing.
Top up with warm water as the pot boils down, since cold water leaves the cake hard inside.
Toss the bananas with white rice wine and fold gently, as heavy handling crushes them and the filling weeps.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.