If the southern symbol of Tet is banh tet, the North is completely different. The image of green Chung cake is the symbol of the Northern New Year. Perhaps, the question that a lot of people are looking for today is to introduce how to make green banh chung? And to be able to answer this question, please take a few minutes to follow Dung Ha Dry Food.
1. What is green banh chung?
Referring to Vietnamese traditional Tet, in addition to peach blossoms, apricot flowers, kumquats, pomelos, etc., green banh chung is also considered the soul of Tet. If there is anything missing in the New Year’s altar, it is indispensable for Chung cake. Vietnamese Chung cake appeared from the 6th time of King Hung and until the era of technology 4.0, this is still an indispensable traditional dish during the Lunar New Year.
Usually, the ingredients needed to make banh chung include: dong leaves, glutinous rice, green beans, pork belly, and cake molds. Although the ingredients are simple and rustic, the process to make the perfect, beautiful and delicious banh chung requires both a feat and diligence of the maker.
- The leaves must be large and green. If it is dong leaves, it is great because when wrapped, the cake will be very beautiful. Dong leaves on display. Through the skillful hands of mothers, grandmothers,… The banh chung are neatly wrapped, square, tied with soft, supple, pre-sliced threads.
Sticky rice needs to be soaked overnight, picked up to drain. Peeled green beans. Thinly sliced pork belly, seasoned with salt and pepper.
See more: 19+ Vietnamese Tet dishes indispensable in Tet 2023
2. The origin of the green banh chung package?
The custom of wrapping banh chung has existed in our country since the time of the Hung kings. This is one of the traditional values that endure over time, over the years of the nation’s history. After more than 1,000 years of Northern domination and nearly 100 years of Western domination, the custom of wrapping banh chung to worship ancestors has not disappeared.
According to legend, Chung cake appeared from the 6th Hung King. To commemorate the death of the Ancestors, the Hung Kings invited the Lang mandarins to come and say: “Which Lang mandarin can find an offering to the Ancestors? If the king agrees, the king will cede the throne.”
The Lang mandarins went up to the forest to go to the sea to find pearls and rare products to offer to the king. The 18th son named Lang Lieu could not find anything valuable to offer to the king. At this time, he used daily agricultural products such as glutinous rice, green beans, pork, and dong leaves to make banh chung to offer to the King.
Lang Lieu’s offerings were very suitable for King Hung. King Hung passed the throne to Lang Lieu. Since then, green banh chung has become a sacred offering in Ancestral worshiping rituals. This is also an indispensable dish on Tet holiday of Vietnamese people. Not only that, our people have a proverb:
“The outside is green and green
Inside the sticky rice, green onions and peppers
Love package, love package
Fragrant from the time of Lang Lieu until now”.
See more: Modern New Year dishes of each region you should know
3. What is the meaning of the green banh chung symbol on Tet holiday?
Not only green Chung cake is a symbol of Tet. Accompanying banh chung is the image of a Vietnamese thick cake. Banh chung + banh day represent the Square Round philosophy of the Vietnamese people in particular and the philosophy of Yin and Yang in general.
- Banh mi symbolizes the sky, the power of the sacred dragon. White, round shape, small in the palm of your hand. Divided into 2 halves of an arc, the top and bottom are lined with banana leaves. Banh mi symbolizes the Father – the breadwinner in the family.
- Banh chung is green, wrapped squarely, which is a symbol of the Earth. The virtue of the mother, the noble sacrifice of the woman represented by Au Co’s mother.
The combination of green banh chung and banh day symbolizes the unity and harmony of heaven and earth. In particular, the Vietnamese people are associated with the wet rice culture, which depends a lot on natural conditions, and heaven and earth is the decisive factor. Therefore, people choose banh chung and banh day on New Year’s Day to express gratitude to heaven and earth for creating favorable conditions for rain and wind, and trees to thrive.
Banh chung and banh day are the most noble offerings in the Ancestor worshiping ceremony. It represents the heart of drinking water, remembering the source, remembering the merits of birth and upbringing, as vast as the earth and sky of the parents. The custom of worshiping and enjoying banh chung in the traditional Tet holiday of Vietnamese people is both cultural, spiritual, culinary and intellectual nature of the Vietnamese people.
See more: What do you need for the New Year’s Eve dinner tray of the Lunar New Year 2023?
4. Introducing how to make green Chung cake for the Lunar New Year 2023?
4.1 Preparation materials
- Sticky rice: 700g
- Green beans without skin: 400g
- Pork belly: 300gr
- Ground pepper
- Salt
- Dong leaves
- galangal leaves
4.2 Preliminary processing of raw materials
Step 1: Put the leaves + glutinous rice in a pot with 1 liter of warm water. Soak glutinous rice for 4 hours for soft sticky rice. Pick it up, let it dry
Step 2: Soak green beans in warm water for 4 hours to soften green beans. Pick up to drain
Step 3: Add green beans + glutinous rice 2 tablespoons salt + ground pepper, mix together
Step 4: Pork belly, wash under running water. Dry
Step 5: Marinate pork with salt and pepper, mix well
4.3 Implementation steps
Step 1: Put 4 dong leaves in the cake mold
Step 2: Using your hands, fold the bottom edge up, fold the left edge over to create a crease for the leaves. Do the same with the remaining 3 dong leaves. Put 4 dong leaves under the cake mold
Step 3: Spread the glutinous rice evenly around the 4 corners of the mold, leaving a concave in the middle. Put the green beans in the recess, put the pork belly on top, and then pour the green bean layer on top. Put 1 layer of sticky rice on top
Step 4: Wrap the cake and use the prepared string to tie the cake (Do not tie it too tightly because when it boils, the cake will break immediately)
Step 5: Put the cake in a large pot, pour water to cover the cake. Boil the cake on a charcoal stove for 10-12 hours
Step 6: When the cake is cooked, take the cake out of the cold water and prepare to soak for 20 minutes. The cake is drained, use a heavy object to press the cake to squeeze the juice, to prevent the cake from becoming mushy when eating
In addition, you can check out more of our Tet dry goods here: https://thucphamkho.vn/do-kho/
5. Conclusion
Above is a detailed article answering questions about how to make green Chung cake for the Lunar New Year. This is the most detailed, meticulous way to make green Chung cake. Tet green banh chung plays an important role in the life and emotions of our people during the traditional Tet holiday. And since its appearance to this day, banh chung seems to have affirmed its attractive taste as well as its deep human meaning. Therefore, banh chung and banh day are indispensable in Vietnamese families during the upcoming Tet holiday.
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