Kasai, indispensable Tibetan food for festivals

By:China Tibet Online
update:March 03,2017

March 2,2017--Early before the Tibetan New Year arriving, many Tibetan shops and families start to make "Kasai", which is very popular during the New Year celebration.

"Kasai", made of dough in assorted shapes and sizes, is a traditional fried Tibetan pastry indispensable for Tibetan festivals. In order to make it more delicious, the pastry has to be coated with a thin layer of sugar before being fried.

Kangjuji, a 56-year-old Kasai shop owner, has made Kasai since her twenties with her older sister.

"When we were young, my grandma would make a lot of delicious Kasai for the New Year," She said, adding that she and her sister learned the skills from grandma and they opened the Kasai shop in Lhasa, selling Kasai in the month before the Tibetan New Year.

Due to the high quality and good taste, Kangjuji’s Kasai shop becomes famous and her goods are beloved by local residents. Most of her Kasai is fried and sold on the spot.