Chewy glutinous rice cakes filled with sweetened mung bean paste, steamed until dense and slightly sticky, a Vietnamese Tet holiday classic.
Banh tet nhan dau is the sweet, mung-bean-filled cousin of Vietnam's famous banh chung and banh tet -- rice cakes traditionally made for Tet (Lunar New Year) by wrapping glutinous rice and a sweetened mung bean filling in banana leaves, then boiling or steaming for hours until the rice turns dense, chewy, and faintly perfumed by the leaves. This simplified home version skips the banana-leaf wrapping in favor of a steamer basket and parchment, making the technique accessible without losing the character of the filling. The key technique is soaking the glutinous rice for several hours (ideally overnight) so it steams evenly instead of staying hard in the center, and cooking the mung bean filling down until it's thick enough to hold its shape, sweetened just enough to contrast with the plain, slightly savory rice around it. Vietnamese families traditionally make dozens of these at once for Tet, but a small batch works just as well for a weekend project. Served at room temperature or slightly warm, sliced into rounds, banh tet nhan dau is dense, chewy, and quietly sweet -- the kind of rice cake that tastes better the day after it's made, once the flavors have settled and the texture has firmed up.
Serves 6
Steam soaked mung beans for 20 minutes until soft, then mash with sugar, coconut oil, and salt until it forms a thick, smooth paste. Let cool.
Roll the mung bean paste into 4-5 small logs, about the length of your steamer basket.
Drain the soaked rice and mix with salt. Lay a portion of rice on banana leaf or parchment, place a mung bean log in the center, and cover with more rice, pressing to enclose it fully.
Fold the leaf or parchment around the rice into a tight cylinder, securing with kitchen twine at both ends and the middle.
Steam the wrapped cakes over simmering water for 90 minutes, topping up water as needed, until the rice is fully translucent and dense.
Let cool at least 30 minutes before unwrapping. Slice into rounds and serve at room temperature.
Soak the glutinous rice at least 6-8 hours, ideally overnight -- unsoaked rice stays hard and chalky even after long steaming.
If using parchment instead of banana leaf, brush lightly with oil first so the rice doesn't stick.
Let the finished cakes fully cool before slicing; cutting them warm makes them fall apart.
Banh tet man: use a savory pork and mung bean filling instead of sweetened mung bean.
Add a few strands of pandan leaf to the steaming water for a subtle floral aroma.
Roll smaller individual portions for bite-sized servings rather than one large log.
Wrapped tightly, these keep at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated up to a week. Re-steam for 10-15 minutes or pan-fry slices in a little oil to refresh before serving.
Banh chung and banh tet are central to Vietnamese Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations, traditionally linked to a legend about a prince who created the square and cylindrical rice cakes to represent earth and sky; the sweetened mung bean version is a common home variation eaten year-round as a snack.
Yes -- parchment paper wrapped tightly and secured with twine works fine for home cooking, though you'll miss the subtle grassy aroma banana leaf imparts.
The rice likely wasn't soaked long enough before assembly. Soak for a full 8 hours or overnight so it can absorb enough water to cook through evenly.
Yes, though it's often sweeter than homemade -- taste it first and consider reducing the added sugar in the recipe to balance it.
Per serving (180g / 6.3 oz) · 6 servings total
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