Vietnamese Savory Square Cake for Lunar New Year (Bánh Chưng)

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1. 1Step 1: Rinse the dried glutinous rice grains in a colander until water runs clear. Transfer to a mixing bowl and cover with water. Do the same for the dried mung beans. Drain the rice and mung beans into separate bowls and season with salt.
2. 2Step 2: To remove surface impurities and any unwanted odor, generously rub the pork belly with coarse salt. Rinse thoroughly under running water to remove the salt and pat the pork belly dry with paper towels. Cut into thin slices or 4 slabs that will fit the center of the mold. Season pork belly with salt, sugar, fish sauce, ground black pepper, shallots, and bouillon powder.
3. 3Step 3: Thaw the banana leaves if frozen. We will be using 4 sheets of banana leaves per cake, one for each corner. This recipe makes 4 cakes so we will need 16 sheets. Keep extras in case of tearing. The width of the banana leaf is the width of the short side of the mold, plus one of its sides (2 inches). See picture in blog for reference. Cut with scissors to ensure a sharp 90° angle on all corners. Rinse sheets with hot water to clean. Wipe with paper or kitchen towels to dry and remove any white residue.
4. 4Step 4: For each leaf, refer to folding pictures in the blog to get the edge for the mold.
5. 5Step 5: Divide the rice, beans, and pork belly into four. For each cake, start with a thin base of rice, making sure to go all the way to the four corners. Then add a thin layer of mung beans in the center. Do not go all the way to the edge. Add pork on top of the mung beans. Cover pork with mung beans then cover everything with rice, making sure the rice completely goes all the way to the edge. Fold the banana leaves down like you would a present.
6. 6Step 6: Put the center of the string across the folds to hold them down. Flip the mold upside down. Remove the mold. Make a loose knot at the center. Turn the knot 90° to change direction and quickly flip the cake. Continue making loose knots and turning the knot 90° until the cake is evenly wrapped with three vertical strings and three horizontal strings. If wrapping fails, just wrap it as best you can with strings and cover the whole thing with foil or saran wrap. See pictures in blog for reference.
7. 7Step 7: Boil the rice cakes in a large 8-quart stockpot on the stovetop on a medium-low simmer, covered. Make sure they are always submerged in water to ensure even cooking. Use a large ceramic bowl or plate to weigh the cakes down if needed. Stove-top cooking will take about 7 hours. Check the water level occasionally and add water as needed.
8. 8Step 8: Add the cakes into the inner pot of an 8-quart pressure cooker. Add water to the maximum fill line and pressure cook on high for two hours and 30 minutes. Once done, allow the pressure cooker to depressurize on its own (about one hour).
9. 9Step 9: Once cooked, remove the rice cakes and drain dry. Press it under some weights such as a cutting board and a bag of flour on top. This helps to remove excess water and make the top and bottom completely flat. Allow the rice cakes to cool to room temperature. Remove all the strings and banana leaves. Slice into quarters with an oiled knife or thin string before serving.
10. 10Step 10: Bánh Chưng can be enjoyed, as is, at room temperature. You can also pan-fry the pieces in a bit of oil for a golden crunchy crust and enjoy it warm.