Put the glutinous rice in a mixing bowl and add water. Stir it up and let it soak for 2 to 3 hours.

Drain the water and add lye water. Give it a good stir and let it sit for 30 minutes. Just make sure not to use too much lye water!

Get your banana leaves ready. If you're using fresh ones, you can heat them up briefly over a fire to release their natural aroma and make them more flexible. If they're fresh frozen, just wash them in warm water. You'll need two leaves per serving - a bigger one that's about 12 by 10 inches and a smaller one that's 4 by 5 inches.

Place the bigger leaf on a flat surface, then put the smaller leaf in the center.

Scoop about 1/4 cup of the rice mixture onto the smaller leaf.

Fold the leaf to secure the rice mixture (check out a video for help!) and tie it up with kitchen twine.

Put the folded banana leaves with rice mixture in a pot and add enough water.

Turn on the heat and let it boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 80 minutes.

Turn off the heat and transfer the banana leaf covered rice cake to a serving dish.

Serve it up with white sugar, brown sugar, or latik.