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Bánh tro (bánh gio, amber glutinous rice cakes in leaves)
Lye water glutinous rice cakes
Lye-soaked glutinous rice boiled in leaves until jelly-like, with sugarcane molasses
On Tết Đoan Ngọ, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, families in northern and central Vietnam eat bánh tro first thing in the morning, believing it cools the body as summer heat arrives. Glutinous rice is soaked in alkaline water, which was once made by steeping plant ash, then wrapped in leaves and boiled for hours. It turns amber, translucent and jelly-soft with a clean, faintly mineral flavour, and is eaten cold, dipped in sugarcane molasses or palm-sugar syrup. Bánh tro is naturally egg-free: the alkali softens the rice grains so their own starch melts together into a firm, sliceable cake. We use food-grade lye water (an alkaline solution of potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate sold in Asian shops for noodles and mooncakes). Handle it with care: wear gloves, keep it away from children, never use drain cleaner or caustic soda, and always dilute it as written. Chef's tip: the common mistake is skipping the rinse; wash the soaked rice twice so the cakes taste clean, not soapy.
- Total time
- 600 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the cakes
- 1 ⅛ lb glutinous rice
- 2 tbsp food-grade lye waterpotassium carbonate solution; check the label says food grade
- 6 ¼ cups cold waterfor soaking
- 10 dong or banana leavesabout 25 x 30 cm, washed and wiped
- 10 pieces kitchen stringor strips of leaf
To serve
- ¾ cup sugarcane molassesor palm sugar syrup
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ⅛ lb glutinous rice until the water runs nearly clear. Wearing gloves, stir 2 tbsp food-grade lye water into 6 ¼ cups cold water in a glass or plastic bowl, never aluminium.
Step 2: Add the rice to the lye water, cover and soak for 6 hours at cool room temperature. The grains will turn pale yellow and swell.
360 minStep 3: Drain, then rinse the rice twice under running water in a sieve and drain well. Rinse the bowl and your gloves too.
Step 4: Lay a leaf shiny side down, put 4 tbsp of rice in the middle and fold it into a loose rectangular parcel, leaving room for the rice to swell to almost double.
Step 5: Tie each parcel firmly with 10 pieces kitchen string and repeat with the rest of the rice and 10 dong or banana leaves.
Step 6: Put the parcels in a large pot, cover with plenty of water and weigh them down with a plate. Bring to the boil, then simmer over a medium-low heat for 3 hours, topping up with boiling water so they stay covered.
180 minStep 7: Lift out one parcel and open it: the rice should be amber, translucent and set into a smooth jelly with no white centre. If not, simmer 20–30 minutes more.
20 minStep 8: Rinse the cakes in cold water, hang or lay them on a rack to drain and cool, then chill for at least 1 hour.
Step 9: Unwrap, slice with a thread or wet knife and serve cold with ¾ cup sugarcane molasses for dipping. They keep 5 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bánh tro (bánh gio, amber glutinous rice cakes in leaves) take?
- About 600 minutes in total: 390 minutes to prepare and 210 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of glutinous rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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