• Add 4 tablespoons of salt to the sticky rice, cover with water and soak overnight. Add 2 tablespoons of salt to the mung beans, also cover with water and soak overnight.
• On the next day, drain both the sticky rice and mung beans separately. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar to each. Mix each well and store separately.
• Soak the dong leaves in hot water to soften.

Wrapping

• Trim the dong leaves, removing the tough stem and tip.
  
• Place a string at the bottom of the mold. Place two leaves number 1 & 2 in one direction, slightly overlapping to cover the width of the mold.
  
• 
• Fold them down to crease at the edges. Do the same with leaves 3 & 4 in the opposite direction.
  
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• Cut leaves 5 & 6 in half, fold in a square and place them inside the four corners of the mold.
  
• (Cut another 2 leaves in half and fit them into the corners again for extra reinforcement if you’re a newb – this helps the banh chung from splitting open when you’re wrapping it later)
  
• Place 1 bowl of sticky rice on the leaves, ensuring the rice is distributed evenly to the corners.
  
• Top with 1 cup of mung beans, layer on top with pork or banana, then add another bowl of beans, followed by a bowl of rice.
  
• Press down with a spoon to condense the filling and ensure the surface is flat.
  
• Cut 1 dong leaf into thirds and cover the top.
  
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• Carefully place a string at the bottom of the mold and remove the mold.
  
• Tie the cake firmly with the string, crossing over at the back and moving down 1/3 each time until you’ve formed a grid-like pattern and the leaves are not loose. With the remaining string, connect the first and the last lines to create a handle.
  
• 

Cooking

• Place in a large pot, pour hot water to cover the cakes and boil for 3 hours. Add hot water every hour if necessary.
  
• After 3 hours or so, remove the cakes, submerge them into cold water and wash them one by one for a few minutes. Drain and leave them on a hard and flat surface, weigh them down with something heavy to keep shape, until they are cool.
• To be eaten at room temperature or pan-fried for a crisp crust.