Mrs. Am's shrimp cake shop sells 1,000 cakes a day in Dong Xuan market alley, Hanoi

In the alley of Dong Xuan market, Mrs. Am's shrimp cakes are the most popular place. The small restaurant, only about 5-6 square meters wide, is always full. Dozens of other customers stand around, waiting to buy to go. With only two pans of oil, a stainless steel table and a dozen plastic chairs, the restaurant still sells thousands of shrimp cakes every day. "This shrimp cake shop has supported my family for generations," said Mrs. Pham Thi Am (born in 1965), the owner.

Mrs. Am has been selling shrimp cakes in this market alley for more than 30 years. Her mother passed her the shrimp cake recipe and then gradually handed it over to her to manage.

In Hanoi, it is not difficult to find shops selling shrimp cakes, but not all of them are as popular as Mrs. Am's shrimp cakes. Here, the cake batter is not only made of wheat flour and tapioca starch, but is mixed in the right proportion with eggs and turmeric powder, beaten until smooth and soft, then adding shredded sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes are hand-cut into small pieces, so when fried with the batter, they will be crispy. The potatoes make the cake sweeter, richer, and more fragrant than other places.

Mrs. Am carefully selects the shrimp to ensure that when fried, it is still fresh, the meat is sweet and firm. At the restaurant, each portion of shrimp cake is served with sweet and sour sauce, papaya and carrot salad and raw vegetables. The shrimp cake will be more delicious when eaten hot, because when dipped in sweet and sour sauce, the cake will still retain its crunchiness.

Sharing about the cake making process, Mrs. Am said that this is a traditional family secret that cannot be revealed. However, Mrs. Am affirmed that to make a delicious dish, first of all, the ingredients must be fresh and of good quality.

According to Mrs. Am, the most elaborate part of shrimp cake is the flour. The restaurant's flour is finely ground from delicious rice. "The crust must be crispy when bitten but not greasy. The shrimp must be fresh so that customers can taste the harmony between the flour's aroma, the shrimp's aroma, and the raw vegetables," Mrs. Am said.

The shop has two large pans of oil, which are constantly running at full capacity. Each batch of frying is about 20 pieces, each one taking 5-7 minutes to complete. Each cake is as big as the palm of your hand, with a crispy golden crust underneath, and two whole shrimps "hugging" each other on top.

With over 30 years of experience, Mrs. Am's movements are quick and agile. She uses a ladle to scoop a moderate amount of sweet potato flour, places it on two shrimps, then drops it into a pan of boiling oil for a few seconds until the flour layer is cooked and no longer sticky. Then, Mrs. Am lifts the ladle of flour to another pan, pours the cake out, and fries it for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Currently, she has a daughter and another person helping her fry the cakes.

During lunchtime or after work, the cakes are sold out as soon as they are served. Many customers have to wait 20-30 minutes, or even hours, for their turn to buy. The restaurant is small, so it can only accommodate a maximum of 20 customers at a time, not including customers who order online. In recent years, the restaurant has not only attracted Vietnamese customers but also many international guests.

"Maybe because my restaurant is traditional, many foreign customers come here out of curiosity to visit and enjoy the taste. Many times, when I see customers having to wait in line or leave because it takes too long, I feel very guilty," said Ms. Am.

According to Mrs. Am, she wakes up at 5am every day to prepare the ingredients. The shop opens at two times each day, 10:30am-1pm and 3pm-5:30pm, with the busiest time being at noon and around 4pm onwards. Mrs. Am said that the peak season is autumn and winter, when she sells nearly 1,200 pieces a day. In the hot summer, sales are lower.

Currently, Mrs. Am's shop sells 800-1000 cakes a day, each cake costs 13,000 VND.

At the age of 58, with her health gradually declining, Mrs. Am does not know how much longer she can maintain the restaurant. Currently, the restaurant has 2 people helping Mrs. Am sell goods, one of whom is her biological daughter. Talking about the future of the restaurant, Mrs. Am shared: "In the future, I want my daughter to take over and continue to develop the shrimp cake restaurant. To me, this restaurant is very important. This is not only a place to make a living but also a traditional family profession."

The restaurant has a narrow space, quite shabby and located at the beginning of the alley so there are many people and vehicles passing by. The advantage of the shrimp cake here is that the cake crust is fragrant, crispy, not too dry and not too greasy. The dipping sauce is not considered too special but it is suitable and harmonious with the cake. The price at the restaurant is also quite cheap.

Article and photos: Kim Ngan

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