with chef Lê Đức Hải from Ngon Garden Restaurant in Hà Nội

This traditional cake, bánh dày, has been preserved and handed down from generation to generation, thanks not only to its tasty and attractive flavour but also its profound significance. Vietnamese often use bánh dày as an annual offering to the Hùng Kings, to pray for a bumper crop and a thriving life.

Ingredients:

- Glutinous rice powder: 200 gr

- Ordinary rice powder: 20 gr

- Water: 200 ml

- Banana leaves: Several

- Salt: ¼ tsp.

- Pepper: ¼ tsp.

- Cooking oil: 1 tsp.

- Lean pork paste

Method:

- Mix the two powders with water until they blend well, then roll them into balls of 20 or 30 grams each and then knead them.

- Cut a banana leaf into a square (about the size of your palm) then rub cooking oil over it. Lightly press one of the balls onto a leaf and again lightly rub cooking oil over the surface of the ball.

- Put the balls into a steamer and cook for 7-9 minutes over a medium fire.

- Allow to cool before enjoying with lean pork paste.

You can enjoy this dish at Ngon Garden Chillout at Ngon Garden Restaurant, 70 Nguyễn Du Street in Hà Nội. VNS