Ha Thach ear cake

From a rustic cake that has been associated for many years with the lives of the people of Phu Tho town in particular and the people of Dat To in general, the ear cake has become a specialty, labeled and given an OCOP star, opening up many new opportunities, increasingly leaving an impression in the hearts of consumers.

After shaping, the ear cakes are neatly arranged on a tray to be steamed.

The vermicelli and cake production profession of Ha Thach Vermicelli and Cake Production Cooperative (Ngoc Thap area, Ha Thach commune, Phu Tho town) has existed for a long time. The products of the Cooperative are rich and diverse, including vermicelli and delicious traditional cakes that are loved by many people such as: Chung cake, Giay cake, Ear cake, Gio cake, Tet cake... In which, the Cooperative currently has 7 households participating in the production of Tai cake. Visiting the Cooperative, seeing firsthand the cake making process, you will understand more about the hardships, love and passion for the specialty Tai cake of the people here.

Unlike other cooperatives, Ha Thach noodle and cake production cooperative mainly operates at night. From 1am, the production households have started to "warm up", by 3:30am the first batch of ear cakes is baked to have products delivered to traders to bring to markets, shops, and retail stores to serve people for breakfast. Ear cakes are cakes made from delicious, sticky rice, soaked in water for 3-5 hours and then ground into flour. Delicious rice, new, smooth flour and new cakes ensure a distinctive flavor.

Ha Thach ear cake products have long become a rustic specialty loved by many people.

Before making the crust, the baker usually prepares the filling first, including 2 parts lean and 1 part fat, minced pork, minced shallots, mixed with pepper and fish sauce to taste. Previously, the ground rice flour was often balled up, boiled, pounded, and beaten by hand, which was quite complicated and time-consuming.

Currently, many families in the cooperative have boldly invested in flour drying machines (flour kneading machines) to help save a lot of time, effort, and increase productivity many times over. After grinding, the rice flour will be put into the kneading machine, mixed for about 15 minutes until it is 80% cooked, then divided into small portions to make the cake crust. The shaping stage for the ear cake is also very important.

The baker must skillfully put the filling into the pre-rolled dough and fold it into the shape of an ear, but must do it skillfully so that the crust does not separate when steamed with steam. After shaping, the cakes are neatly arranged on a tray and steamed in a steamer for about 40 minutes until cooked. On average, each household of the Ha Thach noodle and cake production cooperative produces about 3,000 ear cakes a day, and they are sold out as soon as they are made.

Despite having to stay up late and wake up early, for generations, the craft of making Banh Tai in Ha Thach has been developing steadily. The attractive white Banh Tai, with its fragrant scent of new rice mixed with the delicious, fatty taste of the filling, is eaten with a pre-mixed spicy dipping sauce that is very delicious without being boring. Because of this strange yet familiar way of making and flavor, many families and restaurants have chosen Banh Tai for parties and weddings, which is both polite and attractive.

With the desire to preserve and build the Ha Thach ear cake brand, increase economic value, and improve income for members, in 2023, Ha Thach vermicelli and cake production cooperative completed the processes to bring ear cake products to participate in the provincial OCOP product evaluation and classification program and achieved 3-star OCOP standards.

Mr. Nguyen Doanh Hieu - Director of the Cooperative said: "The OCOP certification of the ear cake product has opened up opportunities for the Cooperative to build and affirm its brand in the market, better consumption, and is a driving force for the Cooperative to continue to improve quality, bringing to the market highly competitive products. In the coming time, the Cooperative will continue to accompany member households to improve production techniques and invest in more modern equipment to improve processing efficiency, thereby expanding the ear cake consumption market, contributing to preserving and promoting the unique culinary culture of the homeland of the town with hundreds of years of history".

Phan Uyen

Source: https://baophutho.vn/banh-tai-ha-thach-220293.htm