HO CHI MINH CITY – Ms. Lan Anh sells kalochi (ka-lo-chi), a cake with the meaning of bringing fortune, which is loved by many people in District 5.
Every morning, visitors passing by the area of house number 184, Luong Nhu Hoc Street, District 5, many people will encounter a compact trolley of Mrs. Lan Anh (65 years old) on the road. The car is curious because of the tools including a deep pan containing a large lump of glutinous rice that is always hot. In front of the car, Mrs. Lan Anh left a sign saying “sticky rice cake with sesame sugar”, and she called this dish kalochi (ka-lo-chi). Lan Anh’s family is a Chinese of Chaozhou origin, kalochi cake originated from China, “kalochi” means to bring a lot of fortune.
“From the time my uncle sold this cake, then to my mother, now it’s me,” she said, making this cake hard, but because of the family business, she still keeps it.
The cake looks simple with the main ingredients being glutinous rice flour, peanuts, crushed roasted sesame mixed with sugar. “The glutinous rice seeds I bought are soaked, washed, then pureed, smooth, then steamed. The glutinous rice flour is cooked, stir it until it’s flexible, and then put it in a hot frying pan,” said Ms. Lan Anh, she wakes up early every day to prepare. , choosing delicious ingredients is how her family keeps the quality of the cake compared to other restaurants. Accordingly, sesame and peanuts are carefully selected, then she roasts them herself, and glutinous rice flour is not bought at the market but must be ground by herself.
When the customer orders cake, she stirs up the big glutinous rice flour until the shell is really crispy, cuts each piece of cake, and eats it, discarding the sesame seeds and peanuts. The cake is still warm, the outside is fragrant with sesame and peanuts, the crust is not too hard, and the smoothness of steamed glutinous rice flour is added. The small cake box is just enough for 15,000 VND to use without causing boredom for customers.
Ms. Chau, district 5, often brings her son to buy kalochi cakes at Mrs. Lan Anh’s trolley. She said that she had tried 3 different shops, but she was most satisfied with the delicious, soft sticky rice flour of Mrs. Lan Anh that didn’t get dry, so she always supported: “I lived near here so I often stopped by to buy cakes, children. I also love this dish, when I was young, he ate 2 boxes at a time.” And Mr. Phuoc, a Chinese, lives nearby and sometimes buys cakes as snacks. “Since I was a child, I have eaten this cake, now there are very few sellers, this Chinese woman has been selling for a long time, the quality of the cake is very good, so I support it,” Mr. Phuoc shared.
Selling for a long time, her cake is loved by many people, not only in District 5 but also people from Binh Duong, An Giang and Soc Trang still come to buy it. Before the Covid-19 epidemic, her shop was the most expensive during the Lunar New Year, 3-4 times more than on weekdays. There are tourists from China to Vietnam who still visit to support. “After the translation is done, the sales are much less, there are fewer customers,” said Ms. Lan Anh, in the near future she will say goodbye to Saigon and return to her hometown of Soc Trang, not selling anymore because of her old age.
