1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
225 g Lean pork, cut into bite-size chunks
30 ml Nuoc cham
2.5 ml Sugar
10 ml Ground black pepper
115 g Lotus seeds, soaked for 6 hours and drained
2 Lotus or banana leaves, trimmed and cut into 25 cm squares
500 g Cooked sticky rice
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Heat the oil in a heavy pan. Stir in the garlic, until it begins to color, then add the pork, nuoc mam, sugar and pepper. Cover and cook over a low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the pork is tender. Leave to cool. Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Reduce the heat and add the prepared lotus seeds. Allow them to cook for about 10 minutes, or until they are tender, then drain, pat dry and leave to cool. Using your fingers, shred the cooked pork and place beside the lotus seeds. Lay a lotus leaf or banana leaf on a flat surface and place a quarter of the cooked sticky rice in the middle of the leaf. Flatten the centre of the rice mound slightly and then scatter with half the shredded pork and half the lotus seeds. Drizzle some of the cooking juices from the pork over the top. Place another quarter of the rice on top, moulding and patting it with your fingers to make sure the pork and lotus seeds are enclosed like a little cake. Fold the leaf edge nearest to you over the rice, tuck in the sides, and fold the whole packet over to form a tight, square bundle. Tie it with string to secure it and set aside. Repeat with the second leaf and the remaining ingredients. Fill a wok one-third full of water. Place a double-tiered bamboo steamer, with its lid on, on top. Bring the water to the boil, lift the bamboo lid and place a rice cake on the rack in each tier. Cover and steam for about 45 minutes. Carefully open up the parcels and serve with a salad and dipping sauce.