Learn the traditional method for crafting round, white glutinous rice dumplings and the colorful 'chè ngũ sắc' with a variety of fillings. Easily prepare a tempting bowl of glutinous rice dumplings with the following guide!
Explore 3 enticing methods for making delicious, soft, and not-too-chewy glutinous rice dumplings.
Traditional Glutinous Rice Dumplings Recipe
Dive into the traditional charm of round, white glutinous rice dumplings filled with aromatic mung beans, draped in sweet ginger-infused syrup.
1.1. Ingredients for Traditional Glutinous Rice Dumplings
- Peeled mung beans: 300g
- Glutinous rice flour: 550g
- Fresh ginger: 1 piece
- Palm sugar: 400g
- Cooking oil
- Toasted sesame seeds: 50g
- Purple onions: 2 pieces
1.2. How to Make Traditional Glutinous Rice Dumplings
Step 1: Prepare the filling for glutinous rice dumplings
- Rinse and clean the mung beans, then soak them in warm water for about 2 hours. Steam until fully cooked, then blend with sugar and salt. Sauté purple onions, mix, and shape into small balls. Prepare glutinous rice dough, shape, and assemble the dumplings. Boil and serve with ginger syrup.
- Note: When simmering the small fire, constantly turn to avoid scorching.
Step 2: Making floating sweet soup: Making the water-bouncing cake crust
- Put 500g of glutinous rice flour into a bowl, wear gloves and squeeze the flour to prevent lumps, add a little salt. Slowly pour warm water into the bowl, kneading the dough with your hands while pouring to make it elastic. Cover tightly, let the dough sit for 3 minutes to allow it to rise evenly and become more elastic when squeezing the cake.
- Take out the dough, knead continuously, if it's a bit crumbly, dip it with the remaining 50g of flour and continue kneading until elastic, then divide it evenly into small balls, roll them into round balls the size of ping pong balls.
Step 3: Squeeze the water-bouncing cake
- Roll out the flattened dough balls with moderate thickness, place the green bean filling in the middle and fold it back tightly. Note not to leave any gaps in the filling because when cooking, the filling will burst out of the cake. Continue until all the dough or green bean filling is done.
- The remaining dough can be squeezed into small balls and dropped into the accompanying bowl.
Step 4: Boil the water-bouncing cake
- To continue the traditional way of making floating sweet soup, place the water pot on the stove, pour about 2.5 liters of water and bring to a boil.
- After squeezing the cake, gently drop it into the boiling water, simmer until the cake floats, then take it out and place it in a bowl of cold water to prevent the cakes from sticking together. When boiling, use chopsticks to gently stir the cakes to prevent sticking and burning at the bottom of the pot.
- The secret to cooking floating sweet soup without being dry and having a chewy texture is to immediately transfer it to a bowl of cold water after boiling, the cake will quickly shrink and become chewy.
Step 5: Cook the sugar syrup
- Peel and clean the ginger, then grate it into strands.
- Pour 500ml of water into a pot, add brown sugar and turn on the heat, when boiling, add the ginger. While boiling, stir continuously with a spoon until completely dissolved, then turn off the heat.
At this point, you have completed the traditional way of making floating sweet soup. To enjoy, scoop the water-bouncing cakes into a small bowl, use a spoon to scoop the ginger syrup evenly over them, then sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. You can also add coconut milk to enhance the aroma and richness, enjoy it while it's still hot. The warm ginger flavor spreads in the chilly weather, the sweetness of brown sugar, and the chewy texture of the green bean filling will undoubtedly bring you wonderful experiences.
1.3. Some notes on how to make floating sweet soup
When making floating sweet soup, choose good, elastic rice flour. It is best to choose new flour for the cakes to have the most delicious flavor.
You can replace glutinous rice flour with tapioca flour. However, tapioca flour will make the cake crispy but not fragrant and chewy like glutinous rice flour.
To have delicious and quick green bean filling, you should buy peeled mung beans. Adjust the amount of sugar or ginger according to the taste and preferences of the eater.
It is best to consume floating sweet soup on the same day it is cooked. If not finished, you can cover it tightly and store it in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 days. When eating, reheat it.
Step 2: Making colorful five-color floating sweet soup
- 500g glutinous rice flour
- 100g peeled green beans
- 50g shredded coconut
- 150g sugar
- 1 can of condensed milk
- 50g pumpkin
- 100g gac fruit seeds
- 50g purple cabbage or purple sweet potatoes
- 50g sticky rice leaves
- 1 fresh ginger
2.2. Steps to make five-color floating sweet soup
Step 1: Creating colors from natural ingredients
- Clean the sticky rice leaves, chop them finely, and put them in a blender with 2 small cups (tea cups) of filtered water, then blend until smooth. Strain to extract the green-colored essence.
- Clean the purple cabbage, chop it finely, put it in a blender with 2 small cups of water, then blend and strain to extract the purple-colored essence.
- Peel and clean the pumpkin, chop it finely, put it in a blender with 2 small cups of water, blend thoroughly to obtain a smooth orange mixture (no need to remove the pulp).
- Squeeze the gac fruit into a separate bowl with a teaspoon of rice wine, squeeze and strain to obtain the red-colored mixture.
Step 2: Making five-color floating sweet soup: Making mung bean filling for five-color floating sweet soup
- Soak the green beans for 2 hours, then peel and steam until cooked.
- After steaming, use a spoon to crush them finely. Add 2 teaspoons of shredded coconut, 2-3 tablespoons of condensed milk (sweetness to taste), and mix well.
- Cook the mixture over low heat until the beans are dry, and you can shape them into small round balls.
- After shaping, steam the green beans until they are round.
Step 3: Making the cake crust
- Divide the dough into 5 portions and put them into 5 different bowls. In each bowl, add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of condensed milk, then add the colored water prepared earlier. Use filtered water for one bowl to create a white cake.
- Knead the dough into smooth, non-sticky blocks. Divide the dough into small pieces and shape them into round balls.
Step 4: Making five-color floating sweet soup: Shaping five-color floating sweet soup cakes
- Flatten the dough and place a green bean ball in the middle, shape it into a round ball, completely covering the green bean. Repeat until all ingredients are used.
Step 5: Cooking five-color floating sweet soup
- Boil a pot of water, add sugar (sweetness to taste), and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. When the sugar water is boiling, gently place the cake balls in, stir lightly to prevent sticking. Cook until all the balls float to the surface, then add a few slices of ginger, simmer for an additional 5 - 7 minutes, then turn off the heat.
You have now completed making five-color floating sweet soup. To enjoy, scoop it into a bowl, add shredded coconut, and start savoring the flavors of each colorful floating sweet soup ball, sweet, fragrant, and chewy.
3. Guide on how to make savory filled floating sweet soup
In addition to the traditional sweet filled floating sweet soup, many people also love the savory filled version. Let's follow the steps below!
3.1. Ingredients for making savory filled floating sweet soup
- 500g glutinous rice flour
- 100g minced pork
- 100g finely chopped shrimp
- 1 small ginger, finely chopped
- 200g green beans
- 50g shredded coconut
- Roasted sesame seeds, finely chopped purple onion
- Salt, sugar, MSG, chicken stock...
3.2. Guide on how to make savory filled floating sweet soup
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients for the savory filling
- Put shrimp and minced pork in a bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of MSG, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of chicken stock, a little finely chopped purple onion, and mix well to marinate for 10 minutes.
- Soak green beans for 2 hours until soft, then clean and steam until cooked. Then finely grind. Sauté purple cabbage until fragrant, then add to the steamed green beans, along with a pinch of salt and sugar, giving the green beans a rich flavor.
Step 2: How to make savory multi-colored floating sweet soup: Wrapping the green bean and meat filling
- Divide the green beans into small round portions. Divide the shrimp and meat into smaller portions than the green bean filling.
- Flatten the green bean portion and place the shrimp and meat in the middle, then wrap it round to keep it separate.
Step 3: Knead the rice ball dough
- Knead the glutinous rice flour with warm water into a smooth, elastic mass. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Then divide the dough into small portions and shape them into rounds.
Step 4: Squeeze the savory filling rice balls
- Flatten the rice ball dough, place the green bean and shrimp-meat filling in the middle, then wrap it round separately. Do this until all the filling is used. When making savory floating sweet soup, be careful not to stack the finished rice ball blocks on top of each other.
Step 5: Boil the savory filled rice balls
- Boil a pot of water and slowly add each savory filled rice ball. Boil until the balls float to the surface, then scoop them out and immediately place them in a bowl of cold water.
Step 6: Cook savory floating sweet soup
- Pour 2 liters of water into another pot, add sugar (adjust sweetness according to taste), and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. When the sugar-water mixture boils, add the cooked rice balls, gently stir to prevent sticking, and add sliced ginger. Let it boil for an additional 5 - 7 minutes, then turn off the heat.
Now you have completed the savory multi-colored floating sweet soup. Scoop it into bowls, add shredded coconut and toasted sesame seeds, and you can begin to savor the flavors of the colorful, not overly sweet soup with a lightly salty and chewy rice ball.
With these ways to make floating sweet soup, we wish you success and enjoyable meals with your family.