Floating cakes for Cold Foods Festival

The third day of the third lunar month is the Cold Foods Festival of Vietnamese people. During this day, every household prepare traditional floating cakes, ‘banh troi’ (made of bits of brown sugar wrapped in glutinous rice paste and cooked by scalding in boiling water) and ‘banh chay’ (glutinous rice balls with mung beans filling, served in fragrant sweet soup) to offer to their ancestors.

Ingredients for ‘banh troi’ include wet glutinous rice powder for wrapping and brown sugar for filling. Meanwhile, making ‘banh chay’ requires wet rice powder for wrapping, pounded mung beans and sugar for fillings; cassava powder, water and sugar to make soup. (Photo: VNA)

In order to make banh troi, first, one should wrap pieces of brown sugar with wet rice powder. (Photo: VNA)

After moulding, round glutinous rice balls are brought to boil. When two third of them float, they are ready to serve. (Photo: VNA)

Cooked ‘banh troi’ are served on plates. (Photo: VNA)

They are sprinkled with roasted sesame before offered to altars. (Photo: VNA)

‘Banh troi’ and ‘banh chay’ are offered to ancestors in the Cold Foods Festival. (Photo: VNA)

‘Banh troi’ is served on plate while ‘banh chay’ in bowl. (Photo: VNA)

‘Banh troi’ nowadays is more colorful as being mixed with natural food colourings, such as gac fruit, taro, etc. (Photo: VNA)

VNA