Hung Lo cassava cake - ancient village delicacy

Hung Lo ancient village, Hung Lo commune, Viet Tri city has long been famous for its many delicious, unique dishes that make anyone who has ever enjoyed them remember them forever. Along with banh chung, banh giay, noodles, vermicelli, peanut candy, ginger candy, rice paper... cassava cake is also a special rustic gift in the ancient village.

The main ingredient of this dish is cassava (also known as tapioca). According to locals, cassava cake has been in the village for hundreds of years, when the economy was difficult and life was poor, people considered cassava as a food to fight hunger.

Hung Lo cassava cake - a rustic delicacy passed down from generation to generation.

The way to make cassava cake is not too complicated. Cassava is sliced, dried, ground or pounded to get powder, filtered to remove fibers to make cake. Cassava cake in those days had no filling, people used chopsticks to poke a hole in the middle, so the cake would cook quickly and evenly. That is why people also jokingly called it “chopstick filling” cassava cake.

Cassava cake is made from young, fresh cassava, the root tip must be small, the body smooth, easy to peel, pure white.

Nowadays, cassava cake is made from young, fresh, sticky cassava, the root tip must be small, the body smooth, easy to peel, pure white. After being washed, the cassava is cut into pieces, dried and then ground into fine powder. Or some households have a more improved way of making it by peeling, pounding, squeezing the juice to get the pulp. The squeezed juice is left to settle, obtaining fine starch.

The maker mixes flour with hot water, kneads thoroughly until it becomes a smooth dough before using it to make the cake crust. According to Ms. Cao Thi Nam - Tan Tien area, Hung Lo commune: The thing to pay special attention to when kneading dough for making cakes is to knead it with boiling water, only then will the cake be soft and smooth. If kneaded with cold water, the cake will be crumbly and not tasty.

The fillings are prepared in a variety of ways, more plentiful, depending on each person's preference. Savory cassava cakes will include pork with green beans, or pork with wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms... Sweet cakes will have green beans, can add shredded coconut, black beans, red beans...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoan - Zone 5, who has many years of experience making cassava cakes in Hung Lo commune, said: Making cassava cakes is not difficult, but the maker must be skillful in spreading the dough evenly so that the cake shell does not tear when exposed to high temperatures. The wet dough is very sticky, if the cake shell is spread thinly, when adding the filling and rolling it into a ball, it will form an oval shape the size of a chicken egg.

After wrapping, the cake is steamed for about 40 minutes.

The outside of the cake is wrapped in a layer of banana leaves. If wrapped in banana leaves, the cake will turn black. This layer of leaves helps the cake not stick when steamed, and also makes it easier for the eater to hold when enjoying. The final step is to steam the cake for about 40 minutes. The cake is best eaten while it is still hot.

The cassava cake after completion.

When cooked, cassava cake has a white color, a soft and chewy crust, the natural sweetness of young cassava flour, green beans, the crunchy texture of wood ear mushrooms, the sweetness of pork... Each filling will bring a different flavor, but cassava cake with minced meat and wood ear mushrooms is still the most popular and loved. Some people compare cassava cake to tapioca dumplings, but the chewy texture of cassava flour and the flavor are very different, eating one makes you want to eat 2, 3 more...

Nowadays, not only in Hung Lo commune, in the province there are many places making cassava cakes, recognized as OCOP products in localities. This makes the rustic dish, the hunger-fighting dish of the past, gradually become a specialty, creating unforgettable impressions for diners when enjoying it.

If you have the opportunity to visit Phu Tho, especially Hung Lo ancient village, do not miss the opportunity to experience this unique dish and explore the rich, diverse and attractive culinary culture of the land of King Hung.

Vinh Ha

Source: https://baophutho.vn/banh-san-hung-lo-mon-ngon-lang-co-226859.htm