Square Banh Chung symbolizes the earth, the symbol of rice civilization, the product of farming and livestock farming.
A piece of banh chung, energy equals a bowl of rice
Outside is a dong leaf used for wrapping, inside are the ingredients: sticky rice, green beans, pork, pepper, salt...
In terms of nutrition, banh chung has all 4 food groups, ingredients include sticky rice (carbohydrate group); green beans; pork (animal protein and vegetable protein group; fat group); onions; pepper (vitamin and mineral group)...
Banh chung is an indispensable dish during the traditional Vietnamese New Year (Photo: Manh Quan).
On the other hand, banh chung is made from sticky rice, which is difficult to digest, so eating it with pickled vegetables and salted onions will stimulate digestion, helping us not to feel full.
The nutritional content of 100g of banh chung provides 181Kcal of energy; 4.3g of protein; 4.2g of fat; 31.6g of carbohydrates; 0.6g of fiber; 26g of calcium; 0.94g of iron; 1.4g of zinc. A medium-sized banh chung weighs about 114g. A small mung bean cake usually weighs about 25g, providing 50Kcal of energy; 1.8g of protein; 0.7g of fat; 9.2g of carbohydrates.
Therefore, no matter how much you like banh chung, you should eat it in moderation to avoid gaining weight.
How to preserve properly?
To preserve banh chung, do not put it in a plastic bag but hang it up or put it in the refrigerator. In the natural environment, banh chung can usually be kept for 5 days. If kept in the refrigerator, it can be kept for 15-20 days, but the cake will become hard and sticky.
Moldy banh chung is usually moldy from the outside due to mold in the air. When wrapping banh chung, you must use clean leaves, wrap it tightly, and the filling must be fresh and clean. After boiling, you must wash the banh chung while it is hot, because at this time the cake is expanding, and water cannot get in. If you wash it when it is cold, water can easily penetrate and spoil the cake.
Many businesses want to produce large quantities to sell on the market, regardless of the health of consumers. Therefore, consumers need to pay attention when choosing banh chung for Tet, because the beautiful, soft and fragrant green cakes on the market often contain many chemicals that are not good for health.
The poison mentioned is the battery. The main environment in batteries is alkaline. In this environment, the chlorophyll (the substance that gives green color to leaves) in the dong leaves used to wrap the cake will turn dark green. At the same time, the alkalinity also helps the starch absorb water better and become clearer. Therefore, many people have used batteries to boil banh chung, making the banh chung cook quickly, the sticky rice grains clear, the leaf skin green and eye-catching.
In addition, there are also potential risks that are less noticed, which are heavy metals in batteries: lead (PB), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic, also known as arsenic,... which are extremely toxic substances, dangerous to the brain, kidneys, cardiovascular system and human fertility.
Pay attention to the color of the cake when buying. It usually takes 8-9 hours to boil the cake, the outer layer of leaves often turns yellow or brownish green. Boiled banh chung with battery takes less time, the outer layer is green, purple.
MSc. Dr. Nguyen Van Tien - National Institute of Nutrition
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