What is Giay Cake (Banh Giay)?

The significance of Giay cake in Vietnamese Tet.

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Banh Giay or Banh Day (Giay cake or Day cake), alongside banh Chung (Chung cake), holds a significant place as one of the essential traditional dishes during the Vietnamese Tet holiday. In this article, let’s explore banh giay and how to make this type of cake.

The significance of Giay cake during Tet

According to official documents in Vietnam, “banh Giay” is the correct spelling. However, some Vietnamese people often write this type of cake as “banh Day”.

In Vietnamese folklore, Giay cake, with its round shape, is seen as a representation of the sky. This cake, white in color and fitting neatly in the palm of one’s hand, features a curved top that resembles the sky. In ancient Vietnamese culture, the sky was thought to be the dwelling place of divine beings. Therefore, Giay cake is often employed in rituals to honor the sky and to seek favorable weather for a prosperous and abundant year.

The legend recounts that Chung cake and Giay cake have their roots in the time of the Sixth Hung King. It is said that after successfully defeating the An invaders, during the first days of the new year, the King aimed to pass the throne to one of his princes.

To determine the successor, the King gathered his sons and declared that the one who presented a delicious dish with significance to their ancestors would inherit the throne. The princes eagerly sought various rare and precious ingredients to offer their father. Among them, only Prince Lang Lieu, the eighteenth prince, kind and dutiful but without a mother for a long time, was uncertain about his choice.

One night, Lang Lieu dreamt of a deity guiding him: ‘Nothing in the world is as precious as rice grains, the sustenance of human life. Mold rice into round and square shapes, symbolizing Earth and Heaven. Wrap them with leaves and place the filling inside to symbolize the grace of childbirth from parents.’ When Lang Lieu presented the dish to the King, he was delighted to discover the tasty and meaningful Chung cake and Giay cake. Consequently, the King passed the throne to Lang Liêu. The origin of Chung cake and Giay cake can be traced back to this legend.

Ingredients and making process

Key components of Giay cake

Glutinous rice

Mung beans

Cooking oil

Banana leaves

How Vietnamese people make Giay cake

Step 1: Preliminarily prepare glutinous rice

Wash the Dong leaves thoroughly with water.

After soaking for the required time, place the glutinous rice in a basket, allow it to drain.

Step 2: Preliminarily prepare mung beans

Wash the mung beans with water, then soak them in water for about 30 minutes.

After soaking for the required time, place the mung beans in a basket, allow it to drain.

Step 3: Mash the glutinous rice

Place the soaked glutinous rice into the pot and cook it. After approximately 10 minutes, uncover the pot and sprinkle some cooking oil over the glutinous rice. Then, continue cooking until the rice is fully cooked, soft, and sticky.

Transfer the cooked glutinous rice into a mortar, then use a pestle to pound it until it becomes smooth and forms into a cohesive block.

Step 4: Make the mung bean filling.

Place the washed mung beans into a pot and stir-fry.

Place the mung beans onto a plate and shape them into round balls. Chefs commonly apply cooking oil to their hands to prevent the mung beans from sticking.

Step 5: Make Giay cake

Flatten the glutinous rice into flat round shapes, then place a mung bean ball in the center. Next, wrap the mung bean ball with the glutinous rice.

Once the cakes are finished, place them on banana leaves.