Go Back
Sliced bánh ít lá gai on banana leaf showing dark rice dough wrapped around golden mung bean filling

Bánh Ít Lá Gai: Steamed Vietnamese Sticky Rice Cakes

Steamed glutinous rice cakes colored dark with boiled gai leaves and filled with a sweet mung bean and coconut paste, wrapped in banana leaf.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Calories: 652
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 50 g dried lá gai leaves soaked and boiled until soft
  • 300 g glutinous rice flour sweet rice flour
  • 200 g granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 80 ml water as needed, added gradually while kneading
Filling
  • 200 g split mung beans peeled and dried
  • 150 g granulated sugar
  • 100 g unsweetened shredded coconut or fresh grated coconut
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
For Wrapping
  • 16 pieces banana leaf squares about 20 cm / 8-inch squares, softened
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil for greasing the leaves

Method
 

Cook the Mung Bean Filling
  1. Rinse the split mung beans, then soak in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain well.
  2. Steam the beans in a steamer basket over boiling water for 25 minutes, until soft enough to mash with a fork.
  3. Mash the hot beans smooth, then move to a 26 cm / 10-inch nonstick skillet with the sugar, shredded coconut, oil, vanilla, and salt. Cook over low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls into one mass that holds its shape on the spoon.
  4. Let the filling cool to room temperature, then roll into 16 balls, about 20 g each. Cover and set aside.
Make the Gai Leaf Dough
  1. Rinse the dried lá gai leaves and soak in warm water for 30 minutes to soften. Drain, then boil in fresh water for 25 minutes, until fully tender and dark.
  2. Drain the leaves and squeeze out as much water as you can. Blend or pound into a smooth, fibrous paste.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the lá gai paste, glutinous rice flour, sugar, oil, and salt. Knead by hand, adding water a tablespoon at a time, until the dough turns smooth, dark, and elastic and no longer sticks to your fingers, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  4. Cover the dough and rest for 15 minutes.
Shape and Wrap
  1. Divide the dough into 16 pieces, about 40 g each, and roll into balls. Flatten each into a disk about 7 cm / 2.5-inch wide.
  2. Set a mung bean ball in the center of each disk. Gather the dough up around the filling, pinch to seal, then roll gently back into a smooth ball.
  3. Brush a banana leaf square lightly with oil. Place a dough ball in the center and fold the leaf around it into a tight parcel, tucking the ends underneath.
Steam and Serve
  1. Arrange the wrapped cakes seam side down in a steamer basket, without letting them touch each other. Steam over boiling water for 35 minutes, until the dough feels firm and glossy through the leaf.
  2. Lift out of the steamer and cool for at least 15 minutes before unwrapping. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

  • Use peeled split mung beans, not whole beans with skins, for a smooth filling.
  • Dried lá gai leaves need soaking and boiling before they'll blend into paste.
  • Sixteen cakes come from 40 g dough portions and 20 g filling balls.
  • Banana leaf must be pliable, not brittle, or it cracks when folded.