Cudweed sticky rice balls (banh khuc)

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Rinse 300 g glutinous rice and 150 g split peeled mung beans well, soak them separately in cold water for about four hours, then drain them thoroughly. Soaking long enough lets the rice and beans cook through at the same time as the shell. The rice is ready when a grain crumbles with a gentle squeeze, and the beans are ready when a broken bean has no hard core.

   Suggested time: about 240 minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Pick off the tough stems of 150 g cudweed leaves, wash them and boil them in lightly salted boiling water for about 3 minutes. Lift them out, rinse under cold water, squeeze them dry and blend or pound them until very fine. A quick blanch keeps the leaves green and tames their bitterness. The leaves are ready when they are completely limp and deep green, and pound into a smooth mass with no long fibers.

   Suggested time: about 3 minutes. High heat.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Steam the soaked mung beans over high heat for about 20 minutes until crumbly and tender, then mash them while still hot. Beans mashed while hot are smooth and hold together well for shaping the filling. They are ready when they dissolve right away between two fingers and are an even pale yellow.

   Suggested time: about 20 minutes.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Cut 150 g pork belly into small pieces and season them with 15 g minced shallots, 3 g salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. Shape the mung bean paste into balls the size of a quail egg with a piece of pork in the center of each. Putting the pork in the core lets its fat seep into the beans as they steam, making the filling nutty and rich. The filling is ready when the balls are firm, evenly round and do not crumble apart.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Mix 250 g glutinous rice flour with 10 g granulated sugar and a pinch of salt, add the pounded cudweed, then gradually add 120 g warm water and knead until the leaves and flour become one. The leaves must be kneaded evenly into the dough for an evenly green shell without streaks. The dough is ready when it is uniformly green, soft and pliable and does not stick to your hands.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Pinch off a piece of dough the size of a lime, flatten it into a round in your palm, set a ball of filling in the center, then carefully smooth the edges up to seal it and roll the ball round. An evenly wrapped shell keeps the dumplings from cracking and the filling from poking out during steaming. The balls are ready when they are perfectly round, smooth on the surface and show no gaps.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Spread the drained glutinous rice on a wide tray, lightly moisten the surface of each ball and roll it over the tray so the rice coats it all around. An even coating of rice forms the light, white jacket that makes banh khuc so distinctive. The balls are ready when they are covered in a thick, even layer of rice with no green showing.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Line the steamer with banana leaves or perforated parchment paper, space the balls apart and steam over medium heat for about 40 minutes, checking halfway and adding boiling water if needed. The long steaming cooks both the outer rice and the bean and pork filling until tender. They are done when the rice grains are translucent and chewy, and a test bite shows a nutty filling and pork with translucent fat.

   Suggested time: about 40 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done