Thanh Tri family-run banh cuong ca cuong restaurant, 4 generations old

Opened in 1960, Ms. Lan's family has maintained the rice cake making profession through 4 generations and preserved the original flavor of Thanh Tri rice cake.

Banh cuon is a famous traditional dish of Thanh Tri village, an "authentic gift of Hanoians" as written by writer Thach Lam in his book "Ha Noi 36 streets". Banh cuon is available in many provinces and cities, but only Thanh Tri banh cuon is eaten with water bugs. This is an insect that lives underwater, often found in ponds, lakes, marshes, and fields.

Thanh Tri rice rolls eaten with sweet and sour dipping sauce and especially grilled water bugs.

Ms. Hoang Thi Lan's family (68 years old) has been making banh cuon for four generations since 1960. "Before, my grandmother and mother were street vendors. About 20 years ago, I often carried my goods to alley 2 of Kham Thien market to sell," said Ms. Lan, the third generation to continue her family's business. In 2008, Ms. Lan opened a shop at 30 Thanh Dam, Thanh Tri ward, Hoang Mai district. She has now passed on her profession to Mr. Cuong (her eldest son), the fourth generation to continue her career and open another shop in Hanoi's Old Quarter.

30 Thanh Dam restaurant is open for business in two time periods, in the morning from 5am to 12pm and in the afternoon from 4pm to 6pm. The restaurant is about 30 square meters wide, has two stainless steel tables, two long benches and plastic chairs, and can serve 20 customers at a time. Inside the restaurant is an old wall with certificates of merit and awards from craft village competitions from 2006 to the present. Ms. Lan said that her family won the award thanks to the secret recipe for making cakes passed down through many 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 fish sauce, 3 kg of dried onions, 1 kg of green onions, 5 kg of pork filling, 6 kg of cinnamon sausage and fatty sausage, not to mention other ingredients. The dried onions are thinly sliced ​​and fried in a pan of oil until golden brown. The filling is made from wood ear mushrooms, minced shiitake mushrooms and stir-fried pork. The green onions are braised in golden fat to spread on each layer of cake.

Rice flour, the most important ingredient of banh cuon, is carefully selected and prepared by Ms. Lan. To prevent the rice from being crumbly or sticky, Ms. Lan uses Khang Dan rice from the previous crop. "Khang Dan is a type of dry rice with small, thin grains that are less likely to break or crack, and does not stick together when it expands," she explains. The rice is soaked in water for about 3 hours, ground, and then left to settle for about 2 hours. The old water is then drained to remove impurities and new water is mixed according to a special recipe so that the dough has the right consistency.

The pancake making kitchen is located to the left of the entrance. Customers who come to the shop can always enjoy a plate of hot pancakes being made immediately. Mrs. Lan quickly pours each ladle of dough onto the flat cloth on the surface of the steamer and rubs it evenly until the pancake begins to puff up. The cooked pancake is taken out with a flat bamboo stick, flattened, and then topped with filling or scallion oil according to the customer's request. "The hardest part is timing the pancake so that it cooks evenly, has the right chewiness, and is not soggy," she said.

"Traditional Thanh Tri rice rolls are rolls that are only spread with scallion oil," said Ms. Lan. In addition, her shop also sells a type of rice roll with meat and wood ear mushrooms that has been improved since then. A plate of rice rolls with scallion oil consists of 13-15 thin rice paper layers. A plate of rice rolls with meat has 10 pieces. Both types cost 20,000 VND. Herbs and dipping sauce are served free of charge. Diners can also order cinnamon sausage, fatty sausage, and eggs.

Each layer of white, chewy, soft rice cake is spread with golden, fatty scallion oil. Placed next to it is a bowl of sweet and sour dipping sauce with cinnamon sausage and fatty sausage for a sweet and rich taste. To highlight the flavor of Thanh Tri rice cake, diners should enjoy it with water bugs.

Grilled water bugs have a pungent smell and a spicy, rich taste. They can be eaten directly or cut into small pieces and added to dipping sauce. "Nowadays, water bugs are harder to find. Some restaurants only add water bug essential oil to the dipping sauce. Of course, the flavor is not as good as a whole water bug," said Ms. Lan. Each water bug at the restaurant costs 70,000 VND, three times more expensive than a plate of banh cuon, so this is "a gift that only gourmets who know how to enjoy it will order."

Although the restaurant is 10 km from the center of Hanoi, many customers still come to enjoy it. Every day, the restaurant serves about 100 servings (more than 1,000 pieces) on site, not including take-out. Ms. Lan makes the pancakes and does the main steps to plate the pancakes for customers. Her husband serves the dipping sauce, cuts the sausage, and sprinkles fried onions. "There are many days when there are many customers, I can't serve them in time so I have to make an appointment for another day," Ms. Lan said.

Ms. Hoa (57 years old, Thanh Tri) has been a regular customer at Mrs. Lan's restaurant for more than 20 years. She often buys rice rolls with one or two water bugs to take home. "Sometimes I go to other restaurants to change the taste, but Mrs. Lan's restaurant is still my 'favorite'. Other places use water bug essential oil, the flavor is not as good as natural water bug," she said.

The first time he tried both types of rice rolls from Mrs. Lan's restaurant, Mr. Nguyen Trong Hoi (84 years old, Dai Mo) commented: "As writer Vu Bang said in 'Ha Noi's Delicious Dishes', 'it's already down to your throat before it reaches your lips'. The scallion oil has a fatty taste but has the light sweetness and softness of the rice rolls, so the flavor is still light and not too rich."

Ms. Giang Thi Thuy Ngan, an official of the Thanh Tri Ward Cultural Committee, said that as of March 2023, Thanh Tri Ward had 54 households making rice rolls, including Ms. Lan's family's shop that has been around for many generations. The households not only sell at home but also supply large quantities of rice rolls to wholesale customers every day. Along with rice rolls from Phu Ly, Thanh Hoa, Cao Bang, Thanh Tri rice rolls with different methods of making, ingredients and flavors have created diversity for Vietnamese cuisine.

Thuy Linh - Quynh Mai

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/quan-banh-cuon-ca-cuong-thanh-tri-gia-truyen-4-the-he-4647661.html