Vietnam is the country which has many diversified and copious cooking methods. For example, only for baking, Vietnamese has many kinds of cake and each kind owns a different cooking method. Visitors usually think about Chung cake whenever they hear about Vietnam, nevertheless, Vietnam has a nother famous cake which has been associated with Vietnamese culture for many centuries. Viet Unique Tours would like to introduce to travelers who love Hanoi street food a rustic food - The name of this cake is “Banh Duc”, or you can call its English name as Plain rice flan.
1. The origin of Plain rice flan:
The hometown of Plain rice flan is China. After 1000 years of domination, Vietnamese was affected by the Chinese in a lot of sides, especially in cooking subject. This is also the reason why Vietnamese learned how to make “Banh Duc” and up to now, this cake has become a favorite dish of Vietnamese people. At first, “Banh Duc” only exists in the Northern part of Vietnam. However, gradually, it become more popular in both the Southern part and the Middle of Vietnam.
2. Ingredients and preparation:
“Banh Duc” is the most simply and rustic cake in Vietnam cuisine. To serve this dish, visitors need to prepare:
- Non-glutinous rice flour (or corn flour).
- Minced pork, grilled shrimp, minced Wood Ear mushroom.
- Fried onion, salt, sesame, peanuts, lime juice and fish sauce (or soy sauce).
- Pandanus amaryllifolius leaves and fresh herb.
3. Cooking method:
Plain rice flour is cooked extremely easy and does not require many complicated stages:
- Firstly, pour lime juice into flour. In case you do not have the flour readily, you need to soak the rice carefully with water, then take it to mill. After that, grind it smoothly.
- Secondly, boil the mixture of flour and lime juice. Add peanuts into this mixture in order to create greasy flavor and nutty flavor.
- Thirdly, stir this mixture to prevent it from being burned. After boiling it, wait until it become cool. A well-done Plain rice flan need to be in jelly shape and must own greasy flavor.
However, in the Southern part of Vietnam, people are used to utilizing Pandanus Amaryllifolius leaves to make the green colour for gelatinous blocks of “Banh Duc”. After extracting these leaves into green water, pour this water into the mixture of lime juice and flour and continue following these steps above.People are fond of enjoying the green “Banh Duc” with sesame and a little bit of coconut milk.
4. The variety of “Banh Duc”:
“Banh Duc” has many kinds and each kind has different ingredients and flavor, such as:
- Taro plain rice flan.
- Coconut juice plain rice flan.
- Maize plain rice flan.
- Salad plain rice flan.
5. Notable restaurants:
“Banh Duc” is totally a street snack dish. Around Hanoi, it is not hard to fine some restaurants serving “Banh Duc”. For instance:
- Hot “Banh Duc” at No.8 Le Ngoc Han ward, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi. The price for per bowl is 15.000VND.
-“Banh Duc Nguyen Binh Khiem” at 35B Nguyen Binh Khiem, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi. It costs 25.000VND for per helping.
-“Goc De Banh Duc” at 106 Goc De street, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi. The price for per helping is 7.000VND.
“Banh Duc” can be served in both hot and cold option, commonly eating with soy sauce. It is a comfortable dish to enjoy in every season. For example, in the winter, visitors can savour this dish in a hot bowl with many toppings likes minced pork, grilled shrimp, minced Wood Ear mushroom, sesame and fresh herb. Or when the weather is hot, the sweet flavor and soy sauce will make you feel better when tasting a cool bowl of “Banh Duc”. If visitors have a chance visiting Hanoi, it is worth trying this delicious dish. “Banh Duc” is one of ancient traits of Hanoi people in particular and Vietnamese as a whole.
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