Instant Pot Bánh Tét Recipe – Vietnamese Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cake – FOOD is Four Letter Word (2024)

January 30, 2019Van

Instant Pot Bánh Tét Recipe – Vietnamese Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cake – FOOD is Four Letter Word (1)

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Prep time: 24 hours

Cook time: 2 hours

Serves: 4 Bánh Tết

Tết (Lunar New Year) is coming up and my kids look forward to eating bánh tét every year. Bánh Tét, which is mostly eaten in central and southern Vietnam, is a cylindrical sticky rice cake filled with mung bean, pork belly and wrapped in banana leaves. I grew up eating this my whole life, but only tried making them recently thanks to RunAwayRice’s recipe (link here). This is a recipe that seems daunting, but watch her tutorial videos – she breaks down the steps and organizes the recipe so it’s very easy to make at home.

Bánh Tét origin folk story:

As an elderly king approached his death, he summoned his three sons to his deathbed. It was time to choose a successor to the throne. The king told his three boys that whoever could provide the most delicious meal for him would be king. The sons immediately went to their wives to plan this grand feast for their father.

The eldest son spared no expense and hired the most celebrated chefs in the land.
The middle son had his wife prepare a personalized meal complete with the kings favorite flavors.

The youngest son presented a simple meal to the king—a plate of bánh tét.

The king became angry seeing this simple meal in light of the other grandiose plates his other boys had prepared for him. He demanded an explanation.
The youngest prince and his wife begged for the kings forgiveness; explaining that bánh tét was all they could afford. An explanation soon followed by the princess to calm the kings anger.
“Instead of presenting you with a tasty but meaningless meal sir, I decided to fill your plate with meaning—a dish that best symbolizes the beauty of our land, Vietnam.”

The king was perplexed, but listened acutely as the princess continued
“The rice represents the staple of all Vietnamese meals—these simple grains give our people energy to work. The green wrapper represents the beauty of our famed rice paddies that populate our countryside. The mung bean symbolizes the sun that gives us life. And finally, the pork belly is symbolic of the great people in the three regions of your kingdom. All of this tied together by string—symbolizing the king who holds this promised land together.”

The king was speechless, deeply impressed by the princess’ thoughtful interpretation. He thought about her story as he ate the bánh tét. As he made his final decision, it was the youngest prince who would make the throne.
“A kingdoms power isn’t measured in gold and treasure, but the prosperity of it’s people. Thank you for showing me this princess.”

And the rest is history

Instant Pot Bánh Tét Recipe – Vietnamese Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cake – FOOD is Four Letter Word (2)

Instant Pot Bánh Tét Recipe – Vietnamese Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cake – FOOD is Four Letter Word (3)

My favorite way to eat bánh tét, sliced then pan fried until they are crispyInstant Pot Bánh Tét Recipe – Vietnamese Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cake – FOOD is Four Letter Word (4)

Instant Pot Bánh Tét Recipe – Vietnamese Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cake – FOOD is Four Letter Word (5)

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Instant Pot Bánh Tét Recipe – Vietnamese Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cake – FOOD is Four Letter Word (6)

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Instant Pot Bánh Tét Recipe – Vietnamese Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cake – FOOD is Four Letter Word (7)

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Instant Pot Bánh Tét Recipe - Vietnamese Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cake

January 30, 2019Van

  • Prep time: 24 hours
  • Cook time: 2 hours
  • Serves: 4 Bánh Tết

www.foodisafourletterword.com

Ingredients

  • ¾ Pound Pork Belly, cut into four 1 inch x 4 inch strips
  • ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • ½ Teaspoon Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Chopped Shallots
  • 2 ½ Teaspoons Salt, divided
  • ½ Tablespoon Fish Sauce
  • 3 Cups Mashed Mung Beans
  • 12 Frozen Banana Leaves, cut into 11 inch x 11 inch squares
  • 6 Cups Long Grain Sweet/Sticky Rice
  • 4 Cooking Twine / Butcher's String, 16-inches long
  • 4 Cooking Twine / Butcher's String, 9-feet long

Method

  • 1)

    Reference RunAwayRice’s Original Recipe and watch her two tutorial videos below:

    Recipe: http://runawayrice.com/main-dishes/sticky-rice-mung-bean-cakes-banh-tet/

  • 2)

    Instant Pot Cooking Instructions:

    If you have an 8Qt, it’s possible to cook all 4 Bánh Tét at once, if you have a 6Qt, you might have to cook them in two batches. Lay them horizontally into the pot to get them to fit.

    Wrap Bánh Tét with foil, then cook for 2 Hours High Pressure and let it do a full natural pressure release (this will take 1+ hours). Be sure to completely submerge them in the water, I had to fill above the max line to cover them.

    Refrigerate overnight before cutting and pan frying. Enjoy!

↓ Supplies to make this recipe ↓

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Instant Pot Bánh Tét Recipe – Vietnamese Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cake – FOOD is Four Letter Word (17)

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FAQs

What is the difference between banh tet and banh chung? ›

In the Central region during Tet, Banh Chung and Banh Tet are both wrapped and enjoyed by the people. Banh Chung in the Central region is usually smaller than its Northern counterpart, and notably, it has less filling. Banh Tet, on the other hand, is wrapped similarly to the Southern style.

What is banh tet in English? ›

Banh Tet (round glutinous rice cake) is a traditional cake enjoyed by southern Vietnamese people on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.

How do you eat Vietnamese sticky rice cake? ›

You can eat bánh chưng warm or at room temperature. Cut pieces reheat well in the microwave oven. You may also pan-fry the sticky rice cake into a crispy bánh chưng pancake! It's unusually good dipped in sugar with some tangy pickle to cut the sweetness and richness.

How long does banh tet last in the fridge? ›

These wrapped cakes can be stored in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 8 months. To reheat Bánh Tét, place slices on a microwave-safe plate and heat in a microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through.

What is the closest bread to bánh mì? ›

These are the ingredients you'll need to make this bánh mì recipe: Bread: Don't overthink this as one community member says. Look for light, lofty bread. A French-style baguette works but so does a Mexican bolillo or hoagie-style roll.

What does banh chung mean in Vietnamese? ›

Banh Chung and Banh Tet are two indispensable cakes in traditional Vietnamese Tet. Banh Chung is square, symbolizing the earth, with an outer layer made from green phrynium or banana leaves, and inside is filled with green beans, fatty meat, spices and fragrant sticky rice.

What does Tet mean in Vietnamese food? ›

At Tet, a diverse array of dishes – from sticky rice cakes and spring rolls to boiled chicken – graces family food trays everywhere, symbolizing prosperity, luck, and familial unity.

What is a sandwich called in Vietnam? ›

Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich that's made up of an odd sounding combination – crusty bread rolls smeared with pate, mayo, suspicious looking Asian ham, pickled vegetables, green onion, coriander/cilantro, a mighty wack of fresh chillies and drizzle of seasoning.

Why do people eat sticky rice cake on Chinese New Year? ›

Nian gao, or 'year cake', is a sticky rice cake which represents prosperity; the words 'nian gao' sounds like 'getting higher year on year', and this symbolises raising oneself taller in each coming year.

Does sticky rice cake need to be refrigerated? ›

Individually wrapped rice cakes can be stored at room temperature even after the exterior is opened. Mochi that is not individually wrapped should be stored in the refrigerator after opening the exterior, and should be consumed as soon as possible.

Are sticky rice cakes healthy? ›

Rice cakes offer very little nutritional value and are low in calories, fiber, and protein. Consuming rice cakes with an additional source of protein and fiber can balance out the increased blood sugar they may cause.

Should Banh Mi be eaten cold? ›

the perfect make ahead: banh mi can be served hot or cold that's why they are great to make ahead. with the correct bread these things can hold assembled an entire day that's why the crust on the bread is important it keeps it from getting soggy. SIMILAR INGREDIENTS TO: SPICY BEEF AND BRUSSEL SPROUT SLAW SANDWICH.

Can banh tet be left outside? ›

An Orange County Health Department study, through a grant from the federal Food and Drug Administration, has found that banh tet and banh chung could become potentially hazardous if left out for a long period at room temperature because bacteria can begin to grow.

What is a tet cake? ›

Bánh tét and bánh chung (the square cake version) are available year-round and are traditional for the Lunar New Year in Vietnam. It's a sticky rice cake with various fillings, some are sweet and some are savory. Mung beans, pork, and sticky rice are the core ingredients in this recipe.

What is the other name of banh tet? ›

Bánh tét are traditional to and most popular in central and southern Vietnam. A similar food (though rectangular in shape) is called bánh chưng in the north. Bánh tét chuối is a bundle of rice with banana and sweet red bean filling steamed in banana leaves. This is the typical sweet version of bánh tét.

Why do Vietnamese people eat banh chung? ›

According to tradition, families make, eat and offer the square sticky rice treats to their ancestors. Like many other Lunar New Year dishes, banh chung is steeped in symbolism. Traditionally, the banh chung is wrapped in green banana or dong leaves — a plant that grows abundantly in northern Vietnam.

What is the Chinese version of Banh Chung? ›

Vietnamese banh chung are a cousin to Chinese zongzi (joong in Cantonese) in that they are made of sticky rice, pork and mung beans and wrapped leaves. In Vietnam, they're wrapped in green leaves called la dong.

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