At the beginning of Thanh Ha alley, mixed in with the noise of Dong Xuan market is the sizzling sound and aroma of the crust of banh chung fried in chicken fat, coming from a bakery more than 30 years old.
Located next to O Quan Chuong and Dong Xuan market, Thanh Ha street has many ancient culinary dishes of Hanoians such as vermicelli soup, sticky rice, porridge, bread, and vermicelli. In the afternoons of winter days, the fried banh chung shop of Ms. Pham Thi Binh, 71 years old, located at 1 Thanh Ha (old address 6 Thanh Ha), Dong Xuan ward, Hoan Kiem district attracts many customers.
Mrs. Binh’s fried banh chung shop has no name, no sign, and is located close to the side of the house so it is difficult to recognize.
In front of the house are two tables and about 8 plastic chairs to serve diners. The shop is open from 12:00 to 18:00 every day.
Mrs. Binh always sits with her back against the wall, in front of her is an old charcoal stove covered with cardboard to avoid grease splashing on passersby. On the stove, there is an aluminum tray frying small square banh chung, making a sizzling sound.
“Since opening for sale in the early 90s until now, I still sell at this address so customers just come to me, without needing a name or sign to advertise,” she shared.
The cakes here are small squares the size of an adult’s hand, which Mrs. Binh got from an acquaintance. “Previously, there was a man riding a cyclo to deliver cakes, now it’s his daughter delivering,” Ms. Binh shared.
The banh chung that Mrs. Binh uses has a green crust of dong leaves wrapped on the outside, sweet green bean filling, no salty filling. This mini fried banh chung used to be a familiar breakfast gift for Hanoians of the 8X and 9X generations, she said.
Banh chung is not fried in a pan but fried in an aluminum tray because of its large size, it can hold 20 pieces at the same time. Aluminum heats up quickly, frying cakes cooks faster, customers don’t have to wait long.
Instead of pork fat, Mrs. Binh uses chicken fat to fry the cakes. “Banh chung is made of sticky rice, so you have to use chicken fat to make the cake golden, crispy and fragrant. Using pork fat, unfortunately, you encounter bad fat, the cake is not fragrant and easily burns,” she shared.
Before frying the cake, Mrs. Binh put a small amount of chicken fat on the tray and waited until the fat was released. Remove the outer layer of wrapping foil, place the cake on the tray and wait until one side of the cake turns golden brown, then flip the other side.
Mrs. Binh uses a flat ladle to gently press and move the cake back and forth so that the fat sticks evenly. This is also the step that helps the cake cook faster and the crust is crispier. When pressing the cake, the fat will penetrate deeply, heating the filling rather than leaving it at the same thickness as the big banh chung on Tet.
When serving guests, fried banh chung will be cut into small pieces and eaten with chili sauce or soy sauce depending on each person’s preference. A fried banh chung costs 15,000 VND.
She also sells a special portion of half a cake, “because this dish is greasy, and it’s also sticky, so it gets boring and full quickly, not everyone can eat a whole cake,” she shared the reason.
Currently, every day, Ms. Binh sells about 40-50 banh chung. In recent years, the amount of cakes sold is not as much as before.
“At this time last year, I sold more because there were both foreigners and tourists passing by to sit and eat. This year, partly because of the late cold, partly because there are few tourists, the customers who come to eat are mainly local people,” she said.
Fried banh chung has a golden brown, crispy outer shell. The sticky rice grains on the outside are bulging like rice flakes, and the inside is chewy like a regular banh chung shell. The green bean filling is sweet and warm, helping to drown out the cold of Hanoi’s winter.
Toppings such as sausages, sausages, and green rice balls are also fried on the tray and cut into pieces when served.
The restaurant is crowded around 12:00 – 1:00 and from about 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm every day. Diners who are quick to arrive or are lucky enough to arrive at a low hour have a place to sit and enjoy, the rest mostly buy take away.
Coming to enjoy fried banh chung on December 16, Mr. Trinh Nghia Duc from Vinh Phuc said he knew about the restaurant since he was a university student. “When I was a student, my friends and I came to eat more often. After getting married in the countryside, I stopped by occasionally when I went to Hanoi in the winter,” he said.
After many years, Mr. Duc feels that the taste of fried banh chung and the restaurant’s atmosphere have not changed. There are still old seats, a cardboard stove and an aluminum tray for banh chung. This made him reminisce about his youth.
Ms. Thuy Ha from Da Nang went on a business trip to Hanoi on a cold day and was introduced by a colleague to Ms. Binh’s shop selling fried dumplings. She said that in Da Nang, she has not found any fried banh chung shops.
The first time she enjoyed it, Ms. Ha found the taste both similar and different from the fried banh chung that is often eaten on Tet. “Fried banh chung is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, but the green bean filling is a bit small. This is a new flavor for the first time I have tasted it,” she said.
Located on a small street with many shops, the restaurant has few seats, no parking and is quite noisy. Diners should park their cars in the parking lot at the end of the market and walk to the restaurant. The restaurant does not serve water and does not accept bank transfers, diners should pay in cash and can order water from neighboring restaurants.
($1~24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)