Floating Rice Cake - Banh Troi
- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 5 minutes
Floating rice cake is essential to Vietnamese festival "Banh Troi - Banh Chay" to celebrate traditional cuisines and rice cultivation. Banh Troi is similar to Mochi (Japanese rice cake) in a way but the melting sugar cube inside the dough makes Banh Troi uniquely Vietnamese.
Photo: @na_homecook
Ingredients
- 180g sticky rice flour
- 20g rice flour
- 200ml warm water
- 150g dark palm sugar balls
- Roasted sesame seeds
Preparation
- Prepare the dough: combine two types of flour (such as glutinous rice flour and all-purpose flour) in a mixing bowl. Gradually add warm water, mixing until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky. Cover and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
- Take a small portion of the dough and flatten it into a disc. Place a sugar ball (or a sweet filling of your choice) in the center, then wrap the dough around the filling and roll it into a small ball. Repeat this process with the remaining dough.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Set aside another bowl filled with warm water to transfer the cooked rice balls.
- Once the water is boiling, carefully add the rice balls in batches. Return the water to a boil and wait until the balls float to the surface, which indicates they are cooked. Use a slotted ladle to remove them and immediately transfer them to the bowl of warm water to prevent sticking.
- Place the cooked rice balls on a serving plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds for added flavor and texture. Serve the floating cakes promptly for the best taste; they are best enjoyed within a day. While traditional floating cakes are usually white, you can enhance their visual appeal by adding food coloring to the dough before shaping.
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