Vietnamese New Year Sticky Rice Cake Gac Fruit Flavor (Bánh Tét Gấc) Recipe

 

Ingredients

Sweet Rice

1 Gac Fruit (1/2 cup)

5 cups Sweet Rice

1 can Coconut Milk

3 tsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

Mung Bean

1 1/2 cup Mung Bean

Pinch of Kosher Salt

Meat

2 Tbsp. chopped Shallots

1 lb. Pork Belly 

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

2 tsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Mushroom Seasoning

1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Other 

Banana Leaves

Strings

Hot Water

Remove the seeds from 1 Gac and place in a bowl. When you’re finish, you should have about 1/2 cup of Gac meat. 

Soak 5 cups Sweet Rice for 5 hours.  After 5 hours, drain out the water.  Using a large pan, add in 1 can Coconut Milk.  Cook on medium heat, add 3 tsp. Sugar and 1 tsp. Kosher Salt.  Mix for a few seconds, then add in the Sweet Rice.  Stir constantly until the coconut milk absorbed into the Sweet Rice.  Remove from heat and set aside. After the Sweet Rice has cool, add in the Gac meat and mix. Set aside. 

Chop some Shallots, you need about 2 Tbsp. Set aside.

Cut 1 lb. Pork Belly into strips about 1/2 an inch thick and about 3-4 inches long. Place in a large bowl to marinate.  Add in 2 Tbsp. chopped Shallots, 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt, 2 tsp. Sugar, 1 tsp. Mushroom Seasoning and 1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper.  Mix and set aside for a few hours. 

Soak 1 1/2 cup Mung Bean overnight.  Next day, rinse the Mung Bean.  Cook in a pot with enough water to cover the top of the bean.  Add in a pinch of Kosher Salt.  Cook on medium high heat, remember to remove the foams. Once it has soften, remove from heat and set aside to cool. 

To make the filling, spread a layer of the cooked Mung Bean.  Place the Pork in the center and wrap the Mung Bean around.  Repeat until you used up the Mung Bean and Pork.  

To wrap, place a string underneath a few layers of Banana Leaves.  Scoop about 1 cup of the Sweet Rice.  Spread the Sweet Rice around, you need it to be about 1/2 an inch thick and  about 5x5 (depends on the size of your Mung Bean filling).  Place the Mung Bean filling in the center.  Wrap and tie the cake.  Repeat until you used up the Sweet Rice and Mung Bean Filling. Prepare a large pot with water.  Place some Banana Leaves on the bottom and place the Sticky Rice Cake into the pot.  Bring to a high simmer.  Boil the cakes for 5 hours.  Remember to have a kettle with hot water on the side.  Every 2 hours, pour more hot water into the pot (add more as needed).  After 5 hours, remove the cake out of the pot and into cold water bowl.  Then rinse the cake with water and place aside to dry and cool overnight.  Next day, enjoy cake with friends and family.