Countryside market rice cake

Wandering around the country market to buy banh ú.

Although the market is no longer “purely rural”, it still retains the delicious dishes of several decades ago. And even though I bought so many things that my arms were full, from vegetables, fruits to meat, I still carried a bunch of “country cakes”, especially a few dozen sticky rice cakes.

Anyone who has never made sticky rice cake will find it not too complicated to make at first glance. However, sticky rice cake is considered a laborious cake and must go through many stages of preparation.

The main ingredients of banh ú are sticky rice and mung beans. Thanks to the skillful wrapping, banh ú cho quê has its own flavor.

The person who cooks the cake must pick out all the mixed rice grains, then wash the sticky rice thoroughly with water and drain. The small green beans are soaked in water until they expand, then the shells are cleaned thoroughly. The pork used to make the cake filling must be pork belly marinated with ground pepper and some typical spices in the countryside kitchen. In addition to the sticky rice and beans, the banana leaves and string to tie the cake are also prepared a few days in advance. Each time the cake is wrapped, everyone spreads out a mat, gathers around, and each person quickly wraps each cake with one hand.

Wrapping the cake is also an art. If the wrapper is not skillful, the cake will be big or small, and will not look nice. You have to be careful and skillful in placing the sticky rice inside the banana leaf so that it is neat and even, then wrap the leaf and fold the edges of the leaf at both ends of the cake so that it is tight, even and balanced.

Banh ú is still as valuable as ever, its flavor never fades.

The cake must be perfect in shape and angles, slim in shape, with four pointed points and six even sides. The string used to tie the cake must not be too tight so that when boiled, the sticky rice grains can expand and cook evenly.
Once the dough has thickened, gently fill the pot and place on the charcoal stove. Cook for a few hours until the cake is cooked through, then remove.

Eating a piece of cake will help you feel all the flavors of fragrant marinated meat, soft cooked green beans mixed with sticky rice, rich, chewy, crispy taste of pork.

Banh u is not only a product of the skillful hands of the maker but also the aroma of the countryside, from the smell of banana leaves and string. Half a dozen cakes are only 20 thousand dong, not too expensive to give as a gift to guests near and far.

During the economic hardship, sticky rice cakes only appeared at death anniversaries and funerals. Gradually, the cakes became a snack sold in the corner of the hometown market. Occasionally, the cakes also gracefully appeared next to the luxurious dishes in the feasts and meetings in Quang Nam.

So you know, anything from home never loses its flavor.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/banh-u-cho-que-3137590.html