Opened in 1960, Ms. Lan’s family has maintained the profession of making banh cuon for 4 generations and preserved the original flavor of Thanh Tri Cake Cuon.
Banh cuon is a famous traditional dish of Thanh Tri village, an “authentic gift of Hanoi people” written by writer Thach Lam in the book “Hanoi chopped six streets”. Banh cuon is present in many provinces and cities, but only banh cuon in Thanh Tri is eaten with eggplant. This is an aquatic insect, often found in ponds, lakes, swamps, and fields.
Ms. Hoang Thi Lan’s family (68 years old) has been making banh cuon for four generations since 1960. “Previously, my grandmother and mother were street vendors. About 20 years ago, I often carried goods to lane 2 of Kham Thien market. sell,” said Ms. Lan, the third generation to continue the family business. In 2008, Ms. Lan opened a restaurant at 30 Thanh Dam, Thanh Tri ward, Hoang Mai district. Currently, she has passed the profession on to Mr. Cuong (first son), who is the fourth generation to continue the baking business and open more shops in Hanoi’s Old Quarter area.
Shop 30 Thanh Dam is open for sale in two time periods, from 5am to 12am in the morning and from 4pm to 6pm in the afternoon. The shop is about 30 m2 wide, with two stainless steel tables, two long benches and plastic chairs, serving 20 guests at the same time. In the shop is the old wall hanging certificates of merit and awards at craft village competitions from 2006 to present. Ms. Lan said her family won the award thanks to the secret of making cakes passed down through generations and the experience of making cakes since she was 15 years old.
Every day, the owner prepares 10 kg of rice, 10 liters of sauce, 3 kg of dried onions, 1 kg of scallions, 5 kg of pork filling, 6 kg of cinnamon rolls and fatty rolls, not to mention other ingredients. Thinly sliced dried onions, sauteed in oil until golden brown. The filling is made from wood ear, minced shiitake mushrooms and stir-fried with pork. Green onions are rimmed with golden fat to spread on each layer of cake.
Rice flour, the most important ingredient of banh cuon, is carefully selected and prepared by Mrs. Lan. To prevent the cake from becoming crumbly or sticking to her hands, Ms. Lan used Khang Dan rice from the previous crop. “Khang Dan is a type of dry rice, the grains are small, less likely to break or break, and when hatched, they do not become sticky,” she explained. Rice is soaked in water for about 3 hours, pureed and then left to settle for about 2 hours. Then drain the old water to remove impurities and mix new water according to your own recipe so that the powder has a moderate consistency and consistency.
The cake kitchen is located to the left of the entrance. Customers coming to the restaurant always enjoy a plate of hot cakes that are immediately coated by hand. Mrs. Lan quickly poured each ladle of flour onto the flat fabric layer on the surface of the steamer and rubbed it evenly until the cake began to puff up. The cooked cake is taken out with a flat bamboo stick, spread flat and then filled with stuffing or smeared with onion grease according to the customer’s request. “The most difficult thing is to adjust the timing so that the cake cooks evenly, is chewy and not mushy,” she said.
Banh cuon filled with wood ear meat and dipping sauce.
Certificates of merit and awards hang on the walls.
Diners wait to buy banh cuon to take home.
Traditional scallion fat roll of Thanh Tri village.
Banh cuon filled with wood ear meat and dipping sauce.
Certificates of merit and awards hang on the walls.
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“Traditional Thanh Tri roll cake is a type of roll cake spread only with green onion fat,” said Ms. Lan. In addition, her shop also sells rolls with meat and wood ear, which are improved later. A plate of spring rolls with onion fat consists of 13-15 layers of thin rice paper. The plate of meat rolls has 10 pieces. Both types cost 20,000 VND. Herbs and dipping sauces are served free of charge. Diners can also order more cinnamon rolls, fat rolls, chicken eggs.
Each layer of cake is white, chewy, and flexible, spread with golden, greasy onion fat. Next to it is a bowl of sweet and sour dipping sauce cut with cinnamon rolls, sweet pork rolls. To create a highlight for the flavor of Thanh Tri rolls, diners should enjoy with ca cuong.
Ca cuong is cooked, when it smells pungent, spicy, greasy, it can be eaten directly or chopped into dipping sauce. “Now, ca cuong is more difficult to find, some shops just add ca cuong essential oil to the sauce, the taste is of course not as good as whole ca cuong,” said Ms. Lan. Each ca cuong at the shop costs 70,000 VND, three times more expensive than a plate of banh cuon, so this is a “gift only for gourmets who know how to enjoy”.
Although the restaurant is 10 km from Hanoi city center, many diners still come to enjoy it. Every day the restaurant serves about 100 meals (more than 1,000 dishes) on site, not including take away sales. Mrs. Lan rolls the cake and does the main steps to make a plate of cake to serve guests. Her husband served the dipping sauce, cut the rolls, and sprinkled fried onions. “Many days there are many customers, so we can’t serve them in time so we have to make an appointment for another day,” Ms. Lan said.
Ms. Hoa (57 years old, Thanh Tri) has been a regular customer of Mrs. Lan’s shop for more than 20 years. She often buys banh cuon with one or two eggplants to bring home. “Sometimes I go to eat at a few other restaurants to change the taste, but Mrs. Lan’s restaurant is still a ‘gut shop’. Elsewhere, people use ca cuong essential oil, the taste is not as good as natural ca cuong,” she said. .
Nguyen Trong Hoi (84 years old, Dai Mo) commented: “As writer Vu Bang in ‘Hanoi delicious food’ is ‘not yet reached the lips have passed’ for the first time. until the neck’. The fat is greasy but has the sweetness and softness of the rolls, so the taste is still frugal and not too overwhelming.”
Grilled Ca cuong served with rolls.
Lan has more than half a century of experience in making rolls.
The cake flour is carefully filtered, compared, smooth, stored in aluminum pots.
Ms. Giang Thi Thuy Ngan, officer of the Cultural Department of Thanh Tri ward, said that as of March 2023, Thanh Tri ward has 54 households making banh cuon, including a shop that has been owned by Ms. Lan’s family for many generations. . Households not only sell at home but also provide large quantities of rice rolls to wholesale customers every day. Along with banh cuon in Phu Ly, Thanh Hoa, Cao Bang, banh cuon in Thanh Tri with different cooking methods, ingredients and flavors has created diversity in Vietnamese cuisine.
($1=24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)