Not your average rice ball by any stretch

Indeed, it is only during this two-month period every year that the most authentic and best-tasting green rice balls are made.

Apart from sticky rice and red bean paste, the most important ingredient used is the mugwort, an aromatic herb that has been used to treat asthma, inflammation and viral infections.

The leaves and buds of the mugwort plant, which are best picked right after the arrival of spring, are smashed and turned into juice that is used to give the rice balls their distinctive color.

While the rice ball filled with sweet red bean paste is the most traditional and popular one, other types have emerged over the years and people can now also buy alternatives filled with Chinese herbs and tofu, salted egg yolk as well as sesame.