A family of 3 generations in Cu Lao Cham, Hoi An, Quang Nam has a traditional profession of making hemp leaves cake, banh xeo. In the summer months, tourists come to Cu Lao Cham to visit a lot, so the whole family can’t rest their hands.
The current 3rd generation is husband and wife Mr. Tran Van Ngan (44 years old) and Ms. Tran Thi Loc (42 years old) living in Bai Lang village, Tan Hiep commune (Cu Lao Cham island).
According to Mr. Ngan, from his grandfather’s time, he worked as a baker of hemp leaves cake in Cu Lao Cham. By his time, the third generation still maintained this profession.
The job of making small cakes does not require much health, is not heavy but laborious. In Cu Lao Cham, there are a few establishments that make hemp leaf cakes, but the establishment of Mr. Ngan and his wife is the largest and most famous on the island, although the establishment does not have its own sign or brand.
According to Tran Thi Loc, after buying or picking leaves, wash them thoroughly, then boil them for 7 hours. Let it cool, then squeeze out the water, put it in a blender with sugar water, then add the glutinous rice flour and mix well until it becomes a flexible dough.PhátTurn on the sound
After turning into a dark green plastic powder, divide it into small pieces (pieces) and then pack the green bean paste inside. The final stage is wrapping banana leaves outside looking like a pyramid, which is a satisfactory cake.
After completing the cake, the host will follow the class to put it in the steamer from 45 minutes to 1 hour and take it out and deliver it to the guests.
Ngan’s family’s little hemp cake oven is only made by his wife and 2 family members, in the summer months can make a maximum of more than 2,000 cakes a day. Cakes are mainly sold to tourists at a surprisingly cheap wholesale price, only 2,000 VND/piece.
According to Ms. Loc, when there are guests coming to Cu Lao Cham, her kitchen will be red again. In the months of the rainy and stormy season, when guests do not go to the island, she turns to sewing.
“Every year, I can only work for 5-6 months in the summer, and in other months the sea is rough, when guests don’t go out to visit, I take a break,” Ms. Loc said as she wrapped the cake. In just over 10 seconds, she finished wrapping a cake with few hemp leaves.
Mr. Tran Van Ngan is both the owner of the oven, a baker and a guide for visitors to experience wrapping cakes at the oven and also a shipper. Customers order a few dozen cakes at any place on Cu Lao Cham island, he also rides a motorbike to deliver them to hand.
According to Mr. Ngan, 1kg of hemp leaves cost 20,000 VND, adding powdered sugar to the package can make 170-180 small cakes. The family takes the work as a profit and also to retain the family’s traditional profession from decades ago.
Mr. Ngan affirmed that the taste of hemp leaf cake in Cu Lao Cham is different from that of hemp leaf cake in the mainland. His kiln also does not buy hemp leaves inland, but only uses hemp leaves picked in Cu Lao Cham.
He shared: “My oven does not buy hemp leaves in the mainland. Hemp leaves in the mainland are very normal, and hemp leaves in Cu Lao Cham are living on a special land, breathing fresh natural air, breathing. Sea water should be 10 times more medicinal than land.
Ngan also shared that this profession does not require much health, but he also wakes up early to pack cakes to serve tourists. Sometimes until 23 o’clock, you can rest your hands, and have to get up early to steam cakes in time to deliver them to customers in time for the canoe to run to the mainland.
($1=24,000 VND)
Photo: Internet (Vinlove.net)