How to Make Beautiful Carp Floating Cake for Tet Celebration

How to make Carp Sticky Rice Ball

• 1

  Cooking mung beans

  To clean the dirt, the mung beans you bought should be rinsed with water, then soaked in cold water for about 8 hours or in hot water for about 1 hour to soften the mung beans. Remove the mung beans and drain the water.

  Place a pan on the stove, add the soaked mung beans, then pour enough water to cover them by about a finger’s width. Turn on the stove and cook the mung beans over medium heat until the water boils, then continue to cook for about 5 more minutes until the water reduces to a level just above the mung beans.

  Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and cook until the water is completely evaporated, and the mung beans are sticky and fully soft.

  Tip:

  • During cooking, avoid stirring the beans too much, as this may cause them to become mushy.
  • Regularly monitor to avoid the water evaporating too long, which may cause the beans to burn.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Cook green bean filling

  When the beans are soft, use a mixing stick (spatula) to mash and puree the green beans.

  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of sugar to the pan and mix well on low heat until the spices dissolve completely, and the green beans thicken, becoming smooth and sticky.

  Finally, sprinkle a little fried onion into the pan of green beans, stir well one more time, and then turn off the heat.

  Tip:

  • The desired green bean filling is when it thickens into a block, separates from the pan, and does not stick to the mixing stick anymore when mixed.
  • Do not use wet green bean filling to make the cake because when steamed, it will cause the cake to collapse, lose its shape, and look unappealing.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Color the cake dough

  Put 70g of soft tofu on a sieve and use a spoon to mash it. Next, add 130g of glutinous rice flour to the bowl of mashed tofu and mix well.

  Tip: Mixing flour with tofu helps the floating cake to be more fragrant and richer in flavor when finished.

  Divide the mixed flour into 2 parts, one part for coloring, the other part mixed with warm water.

  For the orange flour part:

  Dissolve 1 teaspoon of gac powder in 4 tablespoons of hot water, stirring well until the powder is completely dissolved. Next, pour the colored water mixture through a sieve to remove any sediment and undissolved powder.

  Tip: Since gac powder is a bit difficult to dissolve, you should mix it with warm water to make it dissolve more easily.

  Gradually add the gac water to the bowl of flour, wear gloves, and knead the dough until the flour has a beautiful orange color, is smooth, and no longer sticks to the bowl.

  For the white flour part without coloring:

  After mixing well, gradually pour in warm water, then use your hands to mix until the flour reaches the desired smooth and elastic consistency.

  Once the dough has been kneaded, place it in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, letting it rest for about 10-15 minutes, then microwave it at medium heat for 30 seconds. Take the dough out and knead it again for a bit to make it smooth and elastic.

  Tip:

  • The gac water mixed with the flour needs to be kept warm; if cold water is used, the dough will shrink, clump, and be ruined.
  • The desired dough consistency is when it can be easily rolled into balls, and it is no longer wet and sticking to your hands, or too dry and crumbly.
  • If the dough is too dry, you can gradually add a little more water. Conversely, if the dough is too wet, you should add a little rice flour and mix until the desired thickness is achieved.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Shape the carp

  Sprinkle a little dry glutinous rice flour on the cake mold.

  For the orange-spotted carp:

  • Take a combination of 2 colors, white and orange, then arrange them alternately as desired at the bottom of the mold and press tightly. Next, add the filling in the middle of the flour, then continue to add a layer of flour on top, press tightly and spread evenly so that the flour completely covers the mold.
  • Next, gently remove the cake from the mold and arrange it on a plate.

  For the white or orange carp: You only need to take one type of flour (white or orange) and put it in the mold, then perform the steps similarly as above.

  Repeat these steps until all the prepared ingredients are used up. The leftover flour can be rolled into small balls about the size of a marble.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Boiling the cake

  Place a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil, then add the glutinous rice balls to the pot, reduce the heat, and boil until the balls are cooked and float to the surface.

  Place another pot on the stove with 500ml of water, then add 100gr of white sugar and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved.

  When the rice balls are cooked, remove them and place them in the pot of syrup, cooking on low heat for another 5 minutes to finish.

  Tip:

  • To make the dish more flavorful, you can add some sliced ginger to the syrup.
  • During the boiling process, you need to cook on low heat to ensure the rice balls cook evenly, and gently lift them to avoid breaking.

  

  

  
• 6

  Final product

  We have just completed the very delicious fish-shaped glutinous rice cake. The glutinous rice balls are soft and chewy on the outside, with a rich and creamy mung bean filling inside, combined with sweet syrup that will definitely make you want to keep eating without getting tired of it.