The secret to making Seven-Colored Glutinous Rice Balls for the Cold Food Festival!

#Culture #banhtroi
Sticky rice balls (Bánh trôi) are a traditional Vietnamese dish eaten on the Cold Food Festival (Tết Hàn Thực) on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month. I remember when I was little, I used to see my grandmother and mother soak delicious sticky rice overnight and then grind it into flour to make sticky rice balls and vegetarian rice balls. Now it's much more convenient; you can buy pre-made wet flour at the market without kneading. But I still love the feeling of kneading it myself, using familiar vegetables and fruits to color it, and seeing the colorful, eye-catching dough balls is truly delightful. Today, I'll share with you how I usually mix colors to make these Seven-Colored Sticky Rice Balls.

*Note: If you don't want to spend time soaking and grinding the rice, you should choose Thai sticky rice flour for convenience. Personally, I've used both Thai and Vietnamese pre-packaged sticky rice flour, and the Thai one produces a much tastier and more fragrant result.