Evening Snacks in Lạng Homeland

Immerse yourself in the refreshing green pandan cakes, golden crispy envelope cakes, or fragrant sweet sponge cakes, must-try treats when exploring Lạng Sơn's culinary scene.

When visiting Lạng Sơn, besides admiring the beautiful natural landscapes, delve into the street food scene.

Pandan Cakes

The round, flat cakes with the refreshing green hue of pandan leaves are incredibly enticing to diners in this region. Made from pandan leaves but not bitter as many might assume, these cakes offer a delightful aroma and a chewy texture.

Making pandan cakes isn't overly complex, but it requires finesse. After harvesting the pandan leaves, they are thoroughly washed and blanched in lime water to retain their green color. Then, they're finely chopped and stir-fried to remove any bitterness.

Blend of pandan and soaked glutinous rice, mashed into a sticky rice pudding. Rice must be selected from the best glutinous varieties. Once cooked, the rice is hand-mashed in a mortar until smooth and forms a soft, velvety dough. The cake filling is made from black sesame seeds combined with caramelized sugar boiled into syrup. After shaping the cakes, a thin layer of lard is applied to prevent sticking and create a smooth gloss. Each cake costs approximately 5,000 dong.

Fluffy Coóng Cake

These cakes entice diners with the aroma of rice, the sweetness of sugarcane molasses, the nuttiness of peanuts, and a hint of pungent ginger.

At first glance, many mistake these cakes for floating cakes due to similar processing ingredients. However, fluffy coóng cakes have fillings made from crushed roasted peanuts cooked with sugar syrup or cooked green beans. The glutinous rice, after being ground, is kneaded into small balls and dropped into boiling sugar water.

When cooked, the sweetness of the sugar also seeps into the cake. The Tày people in Lạng Sơn often soak the cakes in sugarcane molasses to achieve the perfect level of sweetness and stickiness.

In the chilly weather of autumn, savoring a piping hot cake with the sweet taste of sugarcane molasses, the nutty richness of peanuts, and the pungent heat of ginger will leave you longing for more. A bowl of cakes costs 10,000 dong.

Enchanting Envelope Cake

Strolling through the streets of Lạng in the afternoon, passing by a stand selling envelope cakes, you'll be stimulated by the aromatic scent emanating from this delicacy. Envelope cake is essentially roasted duck wrapped in glutinous rice flour, served with a dipping sauce made from papaya fish sauce mixed with chili vinegar.

With the first bite, you can feel the chewiness of the glutinous rice flour; with the second, the sweet and tender taste of the roasted duck dipped in spicy fish sauce. This dish is served with fresh vegetables, priced at 15,000 dong per piece.

According to Vnexpress.net

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Reference: Travel Handbook Mytour