Having graduated from the Interior Design Department of the University of Industrial Fine Arts (Hanoi), Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Nguyet later chose to make birthday cakes from sticky rice and beans. Not only does she live her passion, the young mother also earns a stable income from this job.
In 2012, Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Nguyet (35 years old), living in Hoang Mai District, Hanoi, graduated from university, worked in her major for 2 years, then realized that she was no longer suitable for this job, so she switched to event organization. However, "running" events often requires staying up late and being under high pressure, so since the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, Ms. Nguyet started to stop doing her job.
Then, realizing that customers had a high demand for sticky rice with beans during holidays and as a substitute for birthday cakes, Ms. Nguyet began to develop this product. The young mother said that because she had previous experience making cakes, it was not difficult to create flower shapes with beans. However, the challenge was finding a recipe to cook beans so that they were smooth, chewy and could be kept for a long time at room temperature.
A birthday cake made of sticky rice and beans by Ms. Anh Nguyet
NVCC
"Cream is a fairly common ingredient, not hard to find but very thin and light so it is easy to damage when shaping. Beans are easier to make flowers but difficult to process. From raw beans, I have to add cornstarch, noodles, sugar, cooking oil... in a certain ratio and then cook to create a smooth, supple mixture. My sticky rice with beans does not use coconut milk so it can be preserved longer. A cake can be stored at room temperature for about a day without fear of spoiling," said Ms. Nguyet.
The main ingredients to make the cake are sticky rice and cooked mung beans.
NVCC
At first, Ms. Nguyet tried to find her own recipe but was not satisfied. Then, the young mother took a class on making flowers from beans from a Korean teacher. According to Ms. Nguyet's research, this country is famous for its traditional rice cakes decorated with beautiful bean flowers. A simple product takes Ms. Nguyet about 90 minutes to make, while a more elaborate one can take up to 4 hours.
Flowers made from beans are beautiful as real
NVCC
In addition to making to order, Ms. Nguyet also opened a class to teach how to "transform" beans into unique cakes. On average, the young mother has 4 classes per month, each class has 4-5 people, the tuition fee ranges from 3-5 million VND depending on the basic or advanced level. "Actually, for those who are skillful, making flowers from beans is not difficult. Just one session of observation and practice is enough to create basic products. However, to improve skills, the maker must explore and practice for a long time," Ms. Nguyet said.
A sticky rice and bean birthday cake takes nearly 4 hours to complete.
NVCC
"My biggest difficulty is balancing work and taking care of my family. Every morning I wake up at 6:30 to prepare food for the whole family and can only start working when my children have gone to school. Currently, I still prioritize taking care of the children before going to work. I hope to be able to arrange everything better in the future," said Ms. Nguyet.
The bean flowers are the hardest part of the cake.
NVCC
Ms. Vu Thi Dieu Hoa (30 years old), currently working in Ia Rto commune, Ayun Pa town, Gia Lai province, said: "I have been studying Ms. Nguyet's basic bean flower making class since June. During the course, I was quite impressed with her skills as well as the perfect bean cooking recipe that she imparted. In addition to improving my skills, I also received passion and support after finishing the course."
Thanhnien.vn
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