Num Ansom Sticky Rice Cake in Banana Leaf

1. Tear off the banana leaves (or P'arv leaves). Once cut from the tree, leave them in the sunlight for about 15-20 minutes so they become tough enough to wrap the cake. Tear them into pieces of different sizes (about 20 cm wide) and clean with a towel or cloth. A banana fibre or other cord can be used to tie up the cake.
2. Wash the sticky rice with clean fresh water after soaking it for about 3 hours, then drain it in a basket. Once drained, mix in salt and fresh shaved coconut flesh.
3. Soak the mung beans for 8-10 hours, then rinse and drain.
4. Cut the pork lengthwise into 15 cm strips and season with salt, sugar, black pepper and spring onion leaves.
5. To wrap: spread three to four layers of banana leaves flat. Spread a layer of sticky rice, place the mung beans in the centre, add the pork, then top with another layer of mung beans and rice. Pull both sides of the leaves together to form a round roll.
6. Fix with a string first to hold everything together, then tie many more strings along the length of the cake so nothing falls apart during cooking.
7. Cook for about 5 to 6 hours until well cooked, keeping watch and turning the cake to its side so it cooks through evenly.

Note: During the Angkor Sankranta event in Siem Reap in April 2015, Cambodia set a Guinness World Record for the largest sticky rice cake, weighing 4 tons (4,040 kg), made by 100 Khmer chiefs over about 2 days for Khmer New Year.