Banh Tet Chuoi

1 minute read

Updated:

This recipe and technique is adapted from RunAwayRice. I’ve tweaked some of the recipe to my liking.

Recipe

Ingredient Weight (g)
Glutinous rice 200
Coconut milk 133 (1/3 can)
Sugar 30
Pandan extract Few drops
Salt Season to taste
   
Beans 15 g dry, 6 tbsp canned
   
Ripe banana 130 g (large)

Recipe Notes

  • When I say coconut milk, I always mean coconut cream. If you’re wanting to substitute, you’d need to use heavy cream as well as a flavouring agent.
  • Pandan extract should be treated like Southeast Asian vanilla extract. So a “few drops” is however heavy handed you would be with vanilla.
  • I eyeballed most of these ingredients. Season until the coconut cream mixture is balanced but strong
  • Any banana can be used. Thai banana is customary but even cavendish bananas taste great.

Technique

Prepping Bananas

The banana is the filling and must be flavoured. The size and girth is dependent on whether you’re making large or smaller rolls.

  1. Cut bananas into 4-6 inch in length. If you’re making skinny small ones, split lengthwise in half or thirds.
  2. Sprinkle with sugar (or sweetener of choice) and salt. Add spices if you want to experiment.

Prepping Coconut Mixture

The coconut mixture is cooked into the rice. It will provide the seasoning for the rice, so adjust towards saltier and sweeter when tasting.

  1. Wash the rice of excess starch.
  2. Mix coconut milk, sugar, salt, and pandan extract.
  3. Over medium heat, cook rice in a non-stick pan until it dries up.
  4. Add coconut milk mixture and continually stir.
  5. Cook until rice just absorbs all loose liquid.
  6. Remove from heat and mix in beans.

Prepping Banana Leaves

The banana leaves must be cleaned before use. It should be boiled to ensure it’s pliable for wrapping.

  1. Wipe banana leaves of dirt.
  2. Boil in pot or pan of water. Remove from heat after it has softened enough to be flexible.

Assembling

  1. Place two square banana leaf sheets down, with the leaves perpendicular to each other.
  2. Add a thin layer of rice.
  3. Place banana in middle.
  4. Fold in half to wrap, then assemble. This part is best explained in the RunAwayRice video.
  5. Place aside and finish rest.
  6. Boil banh tet for 40 minutes in Instant Pot.
  7. Unwrap to check if cooked. It should not stick to leaf and should be a single mass of starch, instead of individual grains.