Giant cooking pots sitting over naked flames can be seen on streets and alleys around the city
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Banh chung, or square rice cake, is a traditional Vietnamese treat savored over the Tet holiday. People often start making the cakes on the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month using glutinous rice, pork and mung beans. Dao Xuan Loi from Tan Binh District said: “My family gathers to make chung cakes every year. It’s time-consuming but it’s fun.” |
The ingredients are wrapped in a square using bamboo leaves before being boiled. They take about 10-12 hours to cook so many families have to stay up overnight to watch over their pots.
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Hoang Mai, 28, living down a small alley of Tan Binh District, said that she has to cook the cakes out on the street because her house is too narrow. “People in my family take turns adding wood to the fire and keeping an eye on the pot.” |
On Hoang Sa Street, a whole family gathers to chat and watch over their giant pot.
At 10p.m. Le Thi Mien, 32, was cooking chung cakes and grilling sweet potatoes simultaneously for her daughter.
A family seen adding water to their pot at around 2 a.m. on Hoang Hoa Tham Street.
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“I started making chung cakes to sell on the 20th day of the month,” one women said. |
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“This year I’m making 6 cakes instead of buying them from the market. I like to cook the cakes myself to enjoy the Tet atmosphere,” said Ha from Tan Binh District. |
A family starts taking out their cakes at midnight.
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A man seen doing the same task at 1 a.m. on Hoang Hoa Tham Street. “The cold weather and the aroma from the pot really makes Tet seem closer,” he said. |
Chung cakes are often eaten with pickled onion or dipped in sugar for a sweet treat. They can also be sliced, pan fried until golden and served with sweet chili sauce.
Photos by VnExpress/Quynh Tran
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