Buzz
1. Sweet Glutinous Rice Balls in Ginger Syrup
Sweet Glutinous Rice Balls in Ginger Syrup is traditionally made on special occasions like the Cold Food Festival or during Buddhist rituals. It evokes poetic imagery, as Hồ Xuân Hương once wrote: 'your body, round and white, seven float, three sink in the waters'. Nowadays, this dessert comes in various flavors and colors, such as pandan or purple sweet potato. However, the classic version remains the favorite, simple yet labor-intensive to make.
Skilled hands wrap the filling inside glutinous rice dough, boiling them until they float in a ginger-infused syrup, creating a fragrant and comforting treat. Today, these rice balls are sold in many street stalls, becoming a popular snack. In Hanoi, renowned vendors can be found on Hang Giay, Hang Can, and Hang Dieu streets, selling bowls for around 12,000 VND each.
Ingredients:
- 400g glutinous rice flour
- 200g peeled split mung beans
- 300g sugar
- 50g ginger
- 3 finely chopped shallots
- A pinch of toasted sesame seeds
Instructions:
- Step 1: Soak the mung beans in water for about 30 minutes, then cook until soft. Mash them into a paste.
- Step 2: Sauté the shallots until fragrant, then add the mashed mung beans and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Season to taste. Let the mixture cool, then shape into small balls, about 2-3cm in diameter.
- Step 3: Mix 350g of glutinous rice flour with 300ml of boiling water (save 50g of flour for dusting), let it rest for 20 minutes. You can add natural coloring like pandan or beetroot for a colorful dough.
- Step 4: Knead the dough until smooth and pliable. Divide and roll it into small balls slightly larger than the mung bean balls, dusting with the reserved flour to prevent sticking.
- Step 5: Place a mung bean ball in the center of a dough ball, seal and roll into a smooth ball again. Your glutinous rice ball is now ready!
- Step 6: Boil the rice balls in boiling water for 10-15 minutes until they float and turn translucent.
- Step 7: Cook 300g sugar with 500ml water (adjust to taste), add sliced ginger, then add the rice balls and simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
3. Tofu Pudding
Making tofu pudding is effortless; simply boil the tofu until tender, peel off the skin, mix with cornstarch and omit sugar. In Huế, this dessert is renowned, historically reserved for royalty but elaborately prepared with coconut essence, exuding the aroma of pandan leaves and the smooth sweetness of soft tofu beans.
Ingredients:
250g dried tofu beans, 1/2 kg grated coconut, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, pandan leaves.
Preparation:
- Step 1: Soak the dried tofu beans until tender, boil until soft, then peel off the skin. Steam the tofu until thoroughly cooked.
- Step 2: Boil sugar with cold water, add a pinch of salt, washed pandan leaves for fragrance. Dilute cornstarch with about 100ml of filtered water, add to the sugar water pot and stir evenly. Finally, add the tofu beans and gently stir with a wooden spatula to prevent them from breaking.
- Step 3: Adjust sweetness according to taste, add a vanilla bean, then turn off the heat.
- Step 4: Squeeze out the coconut milk, cook with pandan leaves, fresh milk, a pinch of salt. Stir until the coconut essence boils, then turn off the heat. Serve the tofu pudding in cups or bowls, pour over a little coconut essence and enjoy hot.
4. Mung Bean Pearl Dessert
Mung beans provide a rich source of essential vitamins for humans, particularly high in vitamins B1, B2, A, E, Protein, comparable to fish meat. It contains minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, manganese, iron, copper,... far more abundant than other foods. It also contains lecithin and free choline, valuable for nourishing the brain of those involved in mental and intellectual work, enhancing memory, and reducing aging processes in the skin, particularly beneficial for middle-aged women. Mung bean pearl dessert, fragrant and nutritious, is beloved not only by Southerners but also widely recognized and once tasted, becomes irresistible.
Ingredients:
200g mung beans, 300g peeled split green beans.
200g brown sugar, grilled rice paper.
Preparation:
- Step 1: Rinse the split green beans, soak them for about 4 hours until soft. Soak the mung beans for about 4 hours, then cook until tender.
- Step 2: Cook the split green beans until soft. Add the cooked mung beans and mix well. Then add the brown sugar and cook until dissolved. Adjust sweetness to taste. Serve the mung bean pearl dessert hot with grilled rice paper for a sweet, crunchy, delicious and exotic treat.
