Chuối Nếp Nướng Recipe: Grilled Banana Wrapped in Sticky Rice

Chuối nếp nướng is grilled banana wrapped in sticky rice, a street food the author never forgets when thinking of Vietnam, especially Saigon. It is a popular dish in the South. Each banana is wrapped in sticky rice and the two are grilled together, then served sliced with a coconut milk sauce and roasted peanuts.

Plan ahead: the sticky rice soaks for 1 night. The wrapped rolls grill for 30–40 minutes.

Ingredients

• ¼ bowl sticky rice
• 5 bananas
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 200 ml coconut milk
• Roasted peanut
• 1 teaspoon tapioca starch + a little salt and sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried tapioca pearl
• Banana leaves

The method also uses 1 teaspoon salt for the sticky rice in step 1.

How to make chuối nếp nướng

1. Steam the sticky rice

Wash the sticky rice 2–3 times and soak it for 1 night. Pour it into a basket and leave it to drain dry.

Mix the rice with 1 teaspoon salt and steam it. While it steams, add 50 ml of the coconut milk to the sticky rice and keep steaming. When the rice is cooked, add the 2 tablespoons sugar, mix well, and continue to steam until it is soft. Let it go cold and turn it out onto a plate.

2. Make the coconut tapioca sauce

Soak the dried tapioca pearl in water for about 15–20 minutes, then pour it into a basket to drain.

Pour 150 ml coconut milk into a pot and add the tapioca pearl, sugar, salt and tapioca starch. Cook it, stirring the whole time, until the mixture is thick and the tapioca pearl turns clear. Turn off the heat and adjust the sugar to your taste.

3. Prepare the bananas and peanuts

Peel the bananas. Grind the roasted peanut coarsely.

4. Wrap the bananas

Use a spoon to scoop a little of the sticky rice from step 1 onto the face of a banana leaf. Put one banana in the centre of the sticky rice, then roll it gently and carefully so the sticky rice covers the whole banana.

Spread well-cleaned banana leaves on a wooden cutting board. Put the banana rolls one by one in the centre of a leaf and roll them up carefully.

5. Grill and serve

Grill the rolls at 180 degrees for 30–40 minutes.

To serve, peel off the banana leaves and put the rolls on a plate. Slice them into small pieces, pour the coconut milk mixture from step 2 over the top and sprinkle with a little roasted peanut.