This is a very popular dessert during the lunar New Year holiday period. Wooden moulds are used to make many sticky rice dishes. The moulds have a removable base that is carved with a decorative pattern on the inside. Asian grocery stores and specialty kitchenware stores stock a variety of these moulds.

400 g glutinous rice

pinch of salt

4 cm knob of ginger, roughly chopped

100 g palm sugar, ground or grated to a fine powder

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Put the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 2 hours.

Drain the rice and place in a saucepan. Add enough cold water to just cover the rice. Add the salt and bring to the boil over medium heat. Stir the rice, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, using a mortar and pestle, pound the ginger to extract the juice. Squeeze the crushed ginger pieces with your hand to extract the remaining juice. Discard the ginger pieces.

Use a pair of chopsticks to stir the palm sugar and ginger juice through the rice, being careful not to break the rice grains. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Fold half of the toasted sesame seeds through the rice. Line two wooden moulds or bowls with plastic wrap and sprinkle in the remaining sesame seeds. Lightly press the rice into the moulds and set aside to cool.

Carefully turn the rice out of the moulds onto small plates. Serve with Vietnamese green tea.