Bánh Bá Trạng: A Savory Sticky Rice Delight

Bánh Bá Trạng, often simply called Bá Trạng, is a savory Vietnamese sticky rice dumpling, distinct from its sweeter counterparts like Bánh Tét. While the process is similar, the ingredients and flavors offer a completely different culinary experience, making it a beloved dish, especially around the Dragon Boat Festival (Tết Đoan Ngọ).

The foundation of Bánh Bá Trạng is, of course, sticky rice. This glutinous rice is carefully selected and soaked for several hours, often overnight, to ensure it softens and cooks evenly. The rice needs to be of excellent quality to achieve the desired chewy texture. The unique flavor of the rice is often enhanced by briefly stir-frying it with shallots and a touch of salt and pepper.

What truly sets Bánh Bá Trạng apart is its savory filling. The most common ingredients include:

• Pork belly: Marinated in a flavorful blend of soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, and pepper. The pork belly provides richness and depth.
• Mung beans: Split mung beans, also soaked and often cooked until soft, add a creamy and slightly sweet counterpoint to the pork.
• Salted duck egg yolks: These contribute a salty, umami flavor and a beautiful orange color that contrasts nicely with the other ingredients.
• Chinese sausage (Lạp xưởng): Adding a sweet and savory element, the sausage complements the other flavors and provides a unique texture.
• Dried shrimp (Tôm khô): Provides a concentrated seafood flavor that enhances the overall savory profile.

The assembly of Bánh Bá Trạng is an art in itself. The soaked sticky rice is layered with the various fillings, carefully packed together. Traditionally, the dumpling is wrapped in Phrynium leaves (lá dong), creating a neat pyramidal or rectangular package. These leaves impart a subtle herbal aroma to the rice as it cooks.

Once wrapped securely, the Bánh Bá Trạng are boiled for several hours, sometimes as long as 8-10 hours, until the rice is fully cooked and the flavors have melded together. The long cooking time ensures that the rice becomes incredibly tender and sticky, and the flavors of the filling permeate the entire dumpling.

Bánh Bá Trạng is best enjoyed warm, unwrapped and sliced into pieces. It’s often served with a dipping sauce, such as soy sauce with chili or a simple fish sauce mixture. The combination of the savory sticky rice, the rich pork belly, the creamy mung beans, and the salty egg yolk creates a complex and satisfying flavor experience. This is a traditional dish that is not only delicious, but also a symbol of Vietnamese culinary heritage, deeply intertwined with cultural celebrations and family traditions.