Bánh Chưng: The Heart of Tet, Vietnam’s New Year Tradition

After the New Year festivities, the whole of Vietnam is gearing up for Tet, also known as the Lunar New Year. An unmissable tradition of this period is the preparation of bánh chưng, these delicious sticky rice cakes that are true culinary emblems of the Vietnamese New Year.

Although you can see them everywhere in Vietnam, how much do you really know about the traditional pastry-bánh chưng? This article reveals everything: their meaning, their fascinating history, and we even offer a recipe so you can make these at home!

Written by Oliver PHUNG (Local expert)Updated on 22-11-2024

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The Myth Behind Bánh Chưng

"Bánh chưng" or square-shaped glutinous rice cake is a kind of traditional Vietnamese cake with a mythical legend taking origin some thousands of years ago, in the very beginning of the country under the first kings' reign. Legend goes that under the sixth king Hùng's reign, after winning against his enemies, the country began to regain peace. It was here that the King wanted to pass on the throne to his son and that too solely on the condition that his descendants would provide gifts for him with a view to show filial piety and gratitude to his ancestors.

The other princes sought savory and strange objects to meet this requirement. Only Lang Lieu, a prince who grew up poorer, was concerned and puzzled as to what to prepare. In the dream, a god told him that there was nothing more valuable in heaven and earth than rice, which fed the people and was the major source of nutrition. The god asked him to make a round Heaven cake and a square Earth cake, both with a tasty filling, as Heaven was round and Earth was square, embracing all things. This would indeed be a gift full of gratitude and would gladden his father's heart.

When he woke up, Lang Lieu followed his dream's instructions. Lang Lieu selected some gleamingly fine glutinous rice to prepare the square cake "bánh chưng" in honor of the Earth, and the round one "bánh dày" - in honor of Heaven. Among all the delicious offerings, King Hùng was satisfied with only the two kinds of rice cakes prepared by Lang Lieu. That symbolic gesture earned him the throne. To this day, every year on the anniversary of King Hùng's ancestor's death and during Têt - the most important festival for Vietnam - locals start preparing bánh chưng in order to give thanks to their ancestors.

In fact, seeing bánh chưng is equivalent to experiencing the festival of Tet. That's why Vietnamese, no matter where they are or what they do, always feel a palpable impatience to return home, reunite with family, learn how to make these delicious cakes, or simply gaze at a pot of bánh chưng boiling on the stove, to rediscover the special atmosphere of Tet that they miss so much.

What Is Bánh Chưng Made Of?

This traditional Vietnamese rice cake consists of glutinous rice, pork belly, mung beans, banana leaves, shallots, pepper, and salt—all ingredients that Vietnamese farmers are very familiar with. Everything is wrapped in fresh dong or banana leaves, giving the rice its signature green color and carefully tied with bamboo threads called "lạt" before being steamed.

Key Ingredients:

• Glutinous Rice: The primary base, chosen for its sticky texture.
• Mung Beans: Peeled and mashed to create a creamy filling.
• Pork Belly: Marinated for a savory and flavorful core.
• Banana Leaves: Used to wrap the cake, lending a unique aroma.
• Pepper and Salt: To enhance the flavors.

These are boiled in a big cast iron pot on constant heat for at least 12 continuous hours to ensure consistency in the wetness of the cakes, meaning they retain their green color. When they are well-baked, they are removed, quickly washed with water, then with a cloth to remove excess grease on the surface of the cakes. They are then pressed tight to give them their square shape and remove excess water.

To enjoy bánh chưng, bamboo ropes are unwrapped and used to divide the cake into 8 equal triangular pieces, so that each portion gets the ingredients. As you taste a piece of bánh chưng, you feel sweet glutinous rice, buttery mung beans mixed with tender meat and a light touch of pepper. People who prefer less fattiness may have it with pickled onions.

How to Make Vietnamese Glutinous Rice Cake at Home

Ingredients

• 1 kg of glutinous rice
• 400 g green beans
• 400 g pork belly
• Salt, seasoning powder, pepper
• Dong leaf or banana leaf
• 1 pack of bamboo ropes

Preparation

• Step 1: Clean and soak the glutinous rice well; put it into a pot of water, adding about 4 g of salt. Mix all well and let it sit for about 8 h. Then drain the already soaked rice.
• Step 2: Mash the mung beans into a pulp, then soak in water for about 4 hrs until softened and full. Remove skin, drain and add 4g of salt; mix well.
• Step 3: Clean each dong leaf using good care on both sides, front, and back. With a very sharp knife, remove the stems along the spine of each leaf, as that is what makes them stiff.
• Step 4: Clean the pork belly and drain well. Cut the meat into pieces in size of about 4cm, then marinate them with 4g seasoning powder and 1g pepper for about 30 minutes so that the flavor blends harmoniously.

Cake Packing

• Step 1: Arrange slices in the form of a rectangle and place the pan over them. Place dong sheets in the pan in the form of a rectangle, keeping the darker sides in and lighter ones out so that the dark side of the leaves comes in contact with the rice for a deep green coloring of the cake.
• Step 2: Add approximately 200g of glutinous rice to the baking tin and spread out evenly to cover the bottom. Next, add 100g of green beans, a slice of meat, and sprinkle on another 100g of green beans to cover the meat. Leave about a 1.5 cm margin from the edge.
• Step 3: Add the other 200g of glutinous rice and spread out uniformly over the green beans. Press lightly on the corners and sides to compact the cake. Fold both edges of the leaves and cut off the excessive parts using scissors.
• Step 4: Hold the sheet in your left hand and slowly remove the pan by holding tightly to the cake. Tie the cake with twine evenly, cut off the excess twine, and trim off the extra part of the leaves. Carefully remove the pan from underneath while making sure the cake is securely attached to it.

Bake the cake

• Wrap bánh chưng in the mold, add water to completely boot it. Place it on the heat and let it boil continuously until it is about 8 hours.
• Bake, covered by water, so the cake would be submerged under water. Finally, bake while checking the water level and adding more water when needed as it disappears. After 8 hours, remove it from the oven and soak in cold running water to take off the sap. Then drain.
• Layer it and press it with something heavy so it turns firm. Then store in the refrigerator or in a cool dry place.
• This process has been done traditionally just to keep the fresh green color of dong leaves and the rich flavors of glutinous rice, mung beans, and pork.
• Wrap cooled bánh chưng in banana leaves and then in plastic and refrigerate up to a week, or freeze up to three months, wrapped in aluminum foil.

4. Bánh chưng and bánh tét: What are the differences?

Over time, various adjustments in preparing and presenting Bánh chưng turned it into a regional, personal tradition for which modifications to suit different tastes can be performed. The southern version is Bánh tét, a cylindrical rice cake with the same symbolic interpretation for the spirit of Tết.

While bánh chưng is square-shaped and wrapped in dong leaves, bánh tét can grow to half a meter in length, also cylindrical in shape because of its wrapping in banana leaves, although still retaining the same traditional ingredients. It is even possible to prepare Bánh tét with five varieties of natural leaves in such a way that it forms a distinctive circular pattern on the altar.

It can be enjoyed in its traditional form and recipe, but some people like it fried. After a couple of days, it can become a hot version called "Banh chung ran," crunchy, and ideal for a refreshing breakfast on freezing winter mornings.

Bánh chưng also changed to suit the taste of each Vietnamese ethnicity. The "bánh chưng gù" is designed and made only for the San Diu ethnic people. "Bánh chưng Chay," for example, is another vegetarian version of Bánh chưng that vegetarians and followers of Buddhism could consume. "Black Bánh chưng"—a staple in the offerings of ancestors of the Tay people in Lang Son—features a rich purple hue, is soft and resilient, and provides a refreshing taste experience.

Conclusion

We share with you an article that reveals the origin of the delicious and attractive "Bánh chưng" prepared for Tet, as well as the steps to make it. We encourage you to embark on its preparation and enjoy the fruits of your efforts to have a more prosperous, peaceful, and joyful Tet season.