Name: Bánh gai Ninh Giang
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 100 min
Total time: 370 min
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 500 g glutinous rice flour; 50 g dried gai leaves (lá gai / ramie leaf), food-grade; 1,500 ml potable water for simmering the leaves; reserve 250 ml of the strained cooking liquid; 120 g dark cane molasses (mật mía or sugarcane molasses); 25 g pork lard, melted and cooled slightly; 1 g fine salt; 300 g dried peeled split mung beans; 1,000 ml cold potable water for soaking, drained afterward; 100 g pork back fat, skin removed and cut into 5–6 mm dice; 120 g granulated sugar, divided: 80 g for the mung beans and 40 g for the pork fat; 150 g unsweetened fresh grated coconut; 15 ml potable water for cooking the pork fat with sugar; 1 g fine salt; 20 g white sesame seeds, lightly toasted and cooled; 24 dried banana-leaf pieces, about 20 × 20 cm each; use two per cake

Wide tabletop view of bánh gai arranged at right, including a cut cake with mung-bean and coconut filling and wrapped parcels, with open wooden space at left. — A wide view pairs leaf-wrapped cakes with an open bánh gai showing its coconut and mung-bean filling.

Yield 12 individually wrapped cakes

Cook About 100 minutes

Passive About 3 hours 35 minutes, including the mung-bean soak, dough rest and initial cooling

Total About 6 hours 10 minutes (370 minutes)

Calories per serving About 455 kcal

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Bánh gai Ninh Giang

Bánh gai Ninh Giang is a northern Vietnamese specialty from the Ninh Giang area of the historic Hải Dương region. Its distinctive dark shell is made by mixing cooked, pounded gai leaves with glutinous rice flour. Inside, sweet mung bean is combined with fresh coconut and small pieces of pork fat cooked with sugar; dried banana leaves wrap each cake during steaming.

Local makers use different ratios and may add candied winter melon, lotus seed or banana essence. This home version keeps the defining leaf-colored shell and mung-bean, coconut and candied-fat filling, while using twelve individually wrapped cakes and a measured steaming time. The cakes are chewy and rich, with an earthy leaf aroma, gentle sweetness and little bursts of coconut and candied pork fat.

Practical

Tips for successBuy food-grade dried lá gai sold for cooking. Ramie fiber or textile products are not food, and other leaves will not provide the same color and flavor. Simmer the dried leaves until they are completely soft, then puree them very smooth so tough fibers do not tear the dough. Knead the dough until evenly dark and pliable. If it cracks while enclosing the filling, press and knead it again before shaping. Keep the mung-bean filling fully cooked and cool before wrapping; warm filling can soften the dough and make sealing harder. Wrap each cake in two softened banana-leaf pieces and secure the parcel so it stays closed in the steamer.

Ingredients

Gai-leaf dough

500 g glutinous rice flour
50 g dried gai leaves (lá gai / ramie leaf), food-grade
1,500 ml potable water for simmering the leaves; reserve 250 ml of the strained cooking liquid
120 g dark cane molasses (mật mía or sugarcane molasses)
25 g pork lard, melted and cooled slightly
1 g fine salt

Mung-bean and coconut filling

300 g dried peeled split mung beans
1,000 ml cold potable water for soaking, drained afterward
100 g pork back fat, skin removed and cut into 5–6 mm dice
120 g granulated sugar, divided: 80 g for the mung beans and 40 g for the pork fat
150 g unsweetened fresh grated coconut
15 ml potable water for cooking the pork fat with sugar
1 g fine salt

Wrapping and finish

20 g white sesame seeds, lightly toasted and cooled
24 dried banana-leaf pieces, about 20 × 20 cm each; use two per cake

Method

Soak the mung beans. Rinse the beans, cover them with the measured 1,000 ml cold water and soak in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Drain well before cooking.
Cook and puree the gai leaves. Rinse and inspect the dried leaves. Simmer them in 1,500 ml water for about 40–45 minutes, until fully soft. Drain, reserving 250 ml of the dark cooking liquid. Blend the leaves with that measured liquid until completely smooth.
Candy the pork fat. Put the diced pork fat in a small saucepan with 40 g sugar and 15 ml water. Cook gently over medium-low heat for about 10–15 minutes, stirring, until the cubes are translucent and fully cooked. Spread them on a clean plate and cool; keep them separate from raw-meat utensils.
Cook the mung-bean filling. Steam the drained beans for about 25–30 minutes, until completely tender and easy to mash. Mash with 80 g sugar, 1 g salt and the grated coconut. Fold in the cooled candied pork-fat cubes and divide the filling into 12 equal portions.
Make and rest the dough. Mix the glutinous rice flour, cane molasses, melted lard and 1 g salt. Add the smooth gai-leaf puree and knead until the dough is evenly dark, smooth and pliable. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Fill the cakes. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Flatten one portion into a thick round, place a filling ball in the center and draw the dough around it. Pinch the seam closed and smooth the surface. Roll each cake lightly in the sesame.
Wrap in banana leaves. Soften the dried banana leaves with hot water, then wipe them clean. Wrap each cake in two leaf pieces and tie securely with kitchen twine. Arrange the parcels in a steamer basket without crowding.
Steam. Set the basket over steadily boiling water, cover and steam for about 60 minutes. Keep the lid closed and make sure the pot does not boil dry. The cooked shell should look glossy and feel set. Check the center of a representative cake with a clean thermometer; it must reach at least 74°C / 165°F.
Cool and store safely. Set the wrapped cakes on a clean rack for about 20 minutes. Because these are cooked rice cakes, refrigerate them within 1 hour of steaming. Keep at or below 4°C / 40°F and use within 24 hours, or freeze promptly. Reheat only once, until steaming hot throughout and 74°C / 165°F.

Practical

Practical guidance

The gai-leaf puree should be smooth enough to blend into the flour without leaving tough strands. Add the full measured 250 ml of leaf liquid with the puree and knead thoroughly; the dough should be soft enough to seal around the filling but not wet or pourable. Keep the filling portions cool while shaping. Dried banana leaves can split when folded cold. Warm them with hot water until flexible, wipe them dry and use two overlapping pieces around each cake. Do not eat the leaves. The 60-minute steaming time is for these individual home parcels; a different size or steamer load may need more time, so check that the dough is fully set and the center reaches 74°C / 165°F.

Troubleshooting

The dough cracks while wrapping: It may be too cool, too dry or not kneaded enough. Knead until pliable and press the seam closed with damp fingertips. The filling leaks out: The dough layer may be too thin or the seam not fully sealed. Use equal dough portions, keep the filling centered and smooth the seam before wrapping. The shell remains pale or streaky: The gai leaves may not have been pureed finely enough or the dough may not have been kneaded evenly. Blend the leaves smooth and knead until the color is uniform. The banana leaves tear: They may be too dry or were folded cold. Soften them with hot water and overlap two pieces per parcel.

Food safety

Use only food-grade gai leaves, and cook them until fully soft before blending. Soak the mung beans in the refrigerator, drain them and steam until completely tender. Keep raw pork fat and its utensils away from the cooked filling; cook the diced fat fully with the sugar before mixing it in. Steam the assembled cakes until the center reaches at least 74°C / 165°F. Cool the rice cakes promptly and refrigerate within 1 hour. Keep them at or below 4°C / 40°F and use within 24 hours, following rice-specific food-safety guidance. Freeze promptly if they will not be eaten within that period. Reheat leftovers only once until steaming hot throughout and 74°C / 165°F. Do not leave cooked cakes at room temperature for extended storage.

FAQ

What are lá gai leaves? They are ramie leaves used in the cake dough for their earthy aroma and naturally dark color. Look for food-grade dried leaves labeled lá gai or ramie leaf at a Vietnamese grocery; textile ramie is not an edible substitute. Can I add lotus seeds or candied winter melon? Some Ninh Giang makers use them, but this version keeps the filling to mung bean, coconut and sugar-candied pork fat. Adding other fillings would change the measured portions. Can I make the cakes ahead? You can prepare and steam them, then cool quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour. Because the dough is rice-based, use refrigerated cakes within 24 hours or freeze them promptly. Reheat only once.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

Serving sizeone of twelve cakes, including shell, filling, candied pork fat and sesame
CaloriesAbout 455 kcal
CarbohydrateAbout 69 g
ProteinAbout 9 g
FatAbout 16 g
FibreAbout 6 g
SodiumAbout 80 mg

Allergens

Contains sesame and coconut. Check labels on the rice flour, sesame and coconut for added ingredients and cross-contact statements. Glutinous rice is sticky rice, not wheat gluten, but manufacturing practices differ. This version also contains pork.

A final note

Keep the cakes wrapped until serving, and store them chilled rather than leaving the batch on the counter.
If freezing, label the date and reheat each cake only once until steaming hot throughout.

Bánh gai Ninh Giang

Practical

Ingredients

Gai-leaf dough

Mung-bean and coconut filling

Wrapping and finish

Method

Practical

Practical guidance

Troubleshooting

Food safety

FAQ

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

Allergens

A final note

Vietnamese National Dishes

Bánh phu thê Đình Bảng

Vietnamese Beef Phở (Phở Bò)

Vietnamese roast pork sandwich (Bánh mì thịt)