Bánh tét: Southern Vietnamese Sticky-Rice Cake

Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear. Cover with cool water and soak for 6 hours. In a separate bowl, rinse the mung beans and soak for 4 hours. Drain both well.

Steam the mung beans until completely soft, about 25–30 minutes. Mash with 2 g salt into a cohesive paste and cool until easy to handle. Season the drained rice with 4 g salt.

Cut the pork into batons about 1.5 cm thick and 15–18 cm long. Mix with the shallot, fish sauce, 2 g salt and pepper. Refrigerate while preparing the leaves.

Wash both sides of the banana leaves and dry them fully. Briefly soften stiff leaves over steam. Overlap 3–4 leaves lengthwise, then add another layer crosswise to make a flexible sheet about 35 cm wide. Trim ragged edges.

Spread half the rice in a rectangle about 25 by 15 cm. Shape half the mung paste into a narrow layer down the centre, arrange the pork lengthwise, cover with the remaining mung paste, then the remaining rice. Leave a border so the filling is enclosed.

Fold the long sides of the leaves over the filling and roll tightly into a 25 cm cylinder. Fold the ends under, add leaves if there are gaps, and tie at intervals with twine. The log should be snug, not crushed, and sealed against water.

Line the stockpot with spare leaves. Set the log seam-side down and cover fully with cool water. Bring to a boil, then maintain a steady gentle boil for 7 hours. Keep it submerged; top up only with boiling water and never let the pot boil dry.

Lift with sturdy utensils, rinse the outside with clean water and drain. Press evenly between clean boards with a moderate stable weight for 20 minutes. Let steam escape. For leftovers, remove the leaves and cut the cake into shallow portions; refrigerate at or below 4°C within 2 hours, use within 3 days, and reheat to 74°C at the centre. Discard the whole cake if mold appears.