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Indulge in the unique flavors of luscious tro cake, with its refreshing and crystalline green hue, infused with the fragrance of sticky rice and the rich essence of sugarcane honey...
Step-by-step guide to creating traditional tro cakes with ease
Prepare ingredients for 4–6 servings: 500g glutinous rice, 100g peeled and diced green beans, lime water, sugar, salt, banana leaf wrappers (small dong leaves or banana leaves), and bamboo strings.
Experience the refreshing tro cake, shimmering like a block of amber
Choose freshly harvested glutinous rice, wash it thoroughly, and soak it in cold water with a pinch of salt for 5–6 hours.
The gio water is made from the residue of thap nhạp tree and xoan fruit, filtered for clear water. However, the simplest way is to buy ready-made gio water and mix it with water at a ratio of 1 tablespoon of gio water to 1 liter of filtered water.
Ensure the banana leaves are completely dry before smoking the cakes.
Rice sticky after soaking in salted water for 5-6 hours, then lift it out and soak in ash water for about 1 day (around 22 hours). To check the water absorption of the rice, hold a sticky rice grain between your thumb and index finger, if it breaks easily under light pressure, it's ready for making cakes.
Lift the sticky rice out of the ash water, rinse it several times until clean, and shake it with more salt, then drain the water.
Details on how to wrap cakes in the traditional way (you can also wrap them differently as long as the cakes are sealed).
Peel and soak mung beans in warm water for about 2 hours until they double in size, then steam until cooked and grind/smash them finely. Put the ground mung beans on a pan and stir to dry the surface, then add sugar (the amount of sugar depends on your sweet taste). After that, take it off, shape the beans into small round balls.
Clean the banana leaves thoroughly, dip them in boiling water, and let them drain.
Roll the leaves into a funnel shape, add a layer of sticky rice, place 1-2 mung bean balls, cover with another layer of sticky rice, press gently to compact, and fold the leaf edges to seal tightly. Tie it with a string to secure.
Toast or dip the cakes in a syrup made from simmering brown and yellowish sugar.
Use a large pot to ensure the water covers the cakes about 10cm deep. When the water boils, steam the cakes for 2 hours, adding water if it evaporates. Take the cooked cakes out, rinse under cold water, and hang in a cool place.
Delight in the light, mildly sweet flavor of tro cakes, perfect when dipped in sugarcane honey. Create a dipping sauce by simmering white sugar over low heat until completely melted, turning into a thick, golden brown syrup.
Discovering tro cakes amidst a Korean hot pot buffet...
Tro cakes – a rustic folk pastry from my childhood that my mother used to make. I still vividly recall the refreshing taste, the aroma of glutinous rice, the golden yellow flower fragrance, and the intoxicating scent of green beans. I remember peeling off each dark leaf layer to reveal the translucent cake, resembling a high-quality ivory block, pristine like looking through it. I still remember the sweet flavor from simmered sugar blending with each small, finely cut piece of cake.
A childhood delicacy...
After a long time without seeing tro cakes, one day, during a visit to BBQ Garden at 163 Hue Street with colleagues, amidst Western salmon soup, pate-stewed beef, Japanese sushi and sashimi, Korean grilled meats, and hot pot, I unexpectedly rediscovered the translucent cake reminiscent of the ivory block from years ago, lying next to trays of floating cakes, steamed cakes, and rolled cakes from Thanh Tri village.
Amidst the extravagant hot pot buffet feast at BBQ Garden...
I came to BBQ Garden for the Korean hot pot buffet but ended up returning for a piece of tro cake and a bowl of lotus seed longan dessert. How about you? Have you tried BBQ Garden and rediscovered your childhood in this Asian culinary garden?
...unexpectedly finding this simple, authentic, and unforgettable childhood treat...
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Experience Autumn.
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