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During every Tet holiday, families gather to wrap square cakes for Tet, offering them to the ancestral altar. However, boiling these fresh green square cakes to perfection isn't easy for everyone. Here are some natural and visually appealing methods for boiling green square cakes to welcome Tet.
1. Soak glutinous rice in ash water
This method of boiling green square cakes is very effective in speeding up the cooking process. Ash water contains alkali, and the rice, after being cooked, maintains a beautiful jade green color while still retaining the essential delicious aroma of the cakes. This method is often used by some families in the Central region.
2. Soak glutinous rice with galangal or pandan leaves
Another natural method of boiling green square cakes that many people use is soaking the glutinous rice with galangal or pandan leaves, or dong leaves.
Galangal and pandan leaves are natural ingredients, safe for health. Crush or grind the galangal leaves to extract the juice, then mix with glutinous rice just before wrapping the cakes. This method will give the cake's outer layer a beautiful green color and a special fragrance and taste.
Similarly to galangal leaves, clean and finely grind pandan leaves to extract the essence, then pour it over the glutinous rice used for wrapping the cakes and soak for about 1 - 3 hours to achieve an appealing green color.
In addition to these two methods, you can also squeeze lime directly onto the glutinous rice. Lime's strong alkaline nature will help the cakes cook faster and attain a more attractive color.
3. Wrapping the square cakes correctly for a green color
To naturally boil green square cakes, you also need to pay attention to the wrapping technique. Alternate the layers of leaves horizontally and vertically, with the oldest leaves on the outside. After boiling, the outermost layer of aged leaves will contribute to the cakes' beautiful green color.
4. Use a tin pot (tole) to cook green square cakes naturally
A tole pot is capable of creating an alkaline environment. Therefore, instead of using other types of pots to cook square cakes, you should use a tole pot. The alkaline environment will preserve the green color of the dong leaves, thus giving the square cakes a truly natural green color.
5. Square Cake Boiling Tips
Before boiling the cakes, place a small basket at the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking and reduce water absorption. Also, place square cake leaves or extra cut leaves at the bottom and around the edges of the pot. The boiling time should be from 8 to 10 hours.
When boiling the square cakes, pay attention to adding cold water when the cakes are nearly boiled to stop the boiling process and allow the cakes to cook slowly.
After boiling the cakes, remove them from the pot and press one cake layer onto another. Place a moderately heavy object on top to drain excess water from the cakes.
Above are compiled natural and visually appealing ways to boil green square cakes. Hopefully, with the information shared by Mytour, you'll gain more experience in boiling delicious square cakes for Tet.
