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. 

Pickled Daikon in Fish Sauce (Củ cải ngâm nước mắm) Recipe

Ingredients

Pickled Daikon in Fish Sauce

1 Daikon

2 tsp. Kosher Salt

3/4 cup Water

1/4 cup Fish Sauce

3 Tbsp. Sugar

Chili Pepper

3 Garlic Cloves

Cut 1 Daikon (about 2 inches).  Peel and rinse with water.  Then cut into smaller pieces (length about 2 inches width about half an inch).  Place in a bowl and mix with 2 tsp. Kosher Salt. Let it sit for 1 hour.  

After 1 hour drain out the water and place the Daikon in a colander. Place outside in the sun to let it dry.  Wait for the Daikon to shrink in half.  Rinse with water, drain out the water and set aside.

In a sauce pan add in 3/4 cup Water, 1/4 cup Fish Sauce and 3 Tbsp. Sugar.  Mix well, bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Set aside to cool.  

Cut 1 Chili Pepper and mince 3 Garlic Cloves.  Mix in with the Daikon.  Place in a jar and pour in the Fish Sauce mixture.  Sealed with lid, it should be ready after 3 days. 

After 3 days you can enjoy the Pickled Daikon.  

You can use the Pickled Daikon to make Stir-fry pickled 

Daikon with Soy Sauce. 

To make Stir-fry  Pickled Daikon you’ll need. 

Stir-fry Pickled Daikon Recipe

2 tsp. Soy Sauce

1 1/2 tsp. Sugar

1 cup Pickled Daikon 

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. minced Garlic

In a pan, add in 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil and 1 Tbsp. minced Garlic.  Saute for a few seconds.  Add in 1 cup Pickled Daikon, 2 tsp. Soy Sauce and 1 1/2 tsp. Sugar.  Mix well on medium heat.  Mix well on medium heat.  Remove from heat and enjoy. This is a salty dish, enjoy with congee or plain rice.

Sponge Cake (Banh Bong Lan)

Food Video!!!!!

! 

Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu)

I'll be getting back to crafting next week.  Will be making some Father's Day cards soon.  =)

My very first tutorial video (Vietnamese Coffee)

Vietnamese coffee is something my parents has to have every morning.  I filmed my mom making it this morning.  Here's how it came out.  The editting still needs work, but it's my first tutorial video =) .  Hope you enjoy watching it.  I'll be making more. 

Yummy Vietnamese Snacks

 When coming home everyday I always, have a snack.  Some goodies my parents make for my sister and I to munch on before dinner time is
Banh Tieu  (Hollow Bread).  Picture on the left side.  This yummy snack is called hollow bread because it's hollow on the side.  In Vietnam they sometime stuff sweet rice in the middle.  I have not eat it that way though.

Another snack is Banh Pateso, picture on the right.  It has pork filling on the inside.  I love eating this.  It's very crispy when you bite into them.  It's not the healthiest choice though.  Very greasy since it has a lot of butter, but so tasty. =)

Hope everyone is having a great week.  Weekend is coming soon, yay!