How to Roll and Bind Bánh Tét

photo by Lữ Như Tiên

In what may be my longest photo-layout yet, I thought I'd share a how-to for rolling and tying bánh tét. When you're an expert at making this classic dish of sticky rice and filling, the whole process takes just a few minutes.

Besides the ingredients, the necessary equipment is banana leaves, string or grass cord, and a giant kettle with a lid for boiling these sticky rice cakes.

Recipes for the rice and for the fillings vary. Unfortunately, I don't have one for the coconut rice, the mung bean and porkfat filling, or the bananas in syrup that you see here. I might make them a repost later on if I can track them down.

Of course, if you really want to do this dish right, you're gonna need to invite about a dozen friends and family to come over and participate in the process. After all, isn't that how food is supposed to be?
 

Banana leaf goes smooth side up.

A bowlful of coconut rice is next.

The rice gets spread evenly...

...into a square-shape.

Here goes the mung bean filling...

...or the banana, as you like.

The roll gets, er, rolled.

The center gets tied.

Two leaf strips cap the roll.

Then it's tied on both ends.

Long grass ties a package knot.

The first ties are replaced.

Ties are equally spaced.

The excess sticks out the top.

The longest strand of grass...

...wraps the rest of the excess...

...all the way up until the end.

The excess is tied off, and done!

The rolls boil for eight to nine hours.

They do look prettier once they're cooked.

photo by Lữ Như Tiên