Occasionally, most Vietnamese people cheerfully prepare to cook sticky rice cakes (banh chung) for the biggest holiday in a year that’s for greeting the new lunar year.
Besides, peach flowers even Kumquat tree are unique things from our ancestors, sticky rice cakes also are must-have in a family on this holiday. At the last time, it seemed each family cooks by themselves, however it is a busy life then we reduce the errands for welcoming Tet.
Nevertheless, there are still a lot of family to get this chance for connecting all members to pack and cook this kind of cakes which generate the strongly membership in each family.
Literally, the main ingredients of this traditional cake is sticky rice which is one of most important food to our ancient people. Hidden inside the sticky layer is the delicious filling made from mung bean and fatty pork. Traditionally, Banh Chung is wrapped in dong leaves which seems only having in Vietnam, after boiling, the smelling of this one to merge into the taste of cakes.
Honesty, we devour it that we could perceive the flavor of three ingredients even the scent of dong leaves wonderfully.
Moreover, there are 2 kinds of shape, square and long cakes which depend on the favorite of each family, basically the ingredients are the same.
All people in Vietnam, even kids are known about the original story of banh chung which tell together from this generation to next. Thus, beside the scent of this cake, it brings a meaningful tradition that we must prolong by heart.
Donna Nguyen 