Buzz
Mrs. Minh's shop is located far from the main road, with just a few simple tables and chairs, yet customers have been increasing steadily over the past 20 years.
The Unnamed Banh Duc Shop Continues to Attract Customers in the Hanoi Residential Area
Hanoi, in the 1960s - 1970s, saw the emergence of numerous 'concrete blocks' - the residential areas - which still exist today, serving as homes for many families.
Around these residential areas, many food vendors thrive. Thanh Cong or Nghia Tan offers various dishes such as rib porridge, snail porridge, salads, and noodles... Kim Lien residential area is renowned for its mixed crab noodle dish. C2 Trung Tu residential area has a famous hot and delicious banh duc stall.
Banh duc comes in many variations, with the most well-known being the sticky rice cake with village-style fermented shrimp paste and the hot banh duc served with fish sauce and minced meat. In the past, the elders were very meticulous in preparing the cake batter. The flour was made from delicious sticky rice, soaked for at least 10 hours, in some places soaked for up to 3 days until the rice was crushed into powder. The powder was then soaked in lime water or ash water.
In modern times, the process of making banh duc has been significantly streamlined. People use pre-ground rice flour soaked in water and lime for about half an hour before grinding it into a usable batter.
Mrs. Minh, over 50 years old, has been selling hot banh duc in the Trung Tu residential area since 1996. In Hanoi, the number of stalls selling food is scarce due to the required perseverance in the preparation process. Cooking a pot of banh duc takes several hours, with a slow, continuous stirring using chopsticks to prevent the cake from clumping or burning. When lifted, the cake is smooth as silk and flows down without sticking to the chopsticks, which is considered a success. There is no school that teaches this technique; it's all about hands-on experience.
Every day at 2 pm, Mrs. Minh and her husband reluctantly bring the banh duc pot to the residential area for sale. In the hot season, the family prepares a large pot of 100 liters, and in the cold season, they need two pots like that. Many offices and schools in the vicinity often order up to a hundred portions for their staff or students.
Back when they first started, the stall only had a wooden table with a couple of benches. In recent years, the stall has become more crowded, and the owner has added another table for customers to sit. Mrs. Minh's husband also helps scoop the banh duc while she prepares minced meat, sprinkles dried onions, and pours fish sauce for the customers. The fish sauce is always perfectly balanced, rarely is there a customer complaining about it being too bland or too salty. On the table, there are always a few jars of chili powder and pepper for customers to add according to their taste.
Mrs. Minh's husband is quick and nimble; just one aluminum ladle is enough for a bowl. The banh duc is sticky, poured into the bowl, and a gentle sprinkle of salt into the mouth of the bowl makes the whole cake fall. Towards the end of the pot, if it starts to burn, the owner has to use scissors to cut it into pieces one by one. Many people prefer to wait until around 4:30 - 5 pm to come to the stall for the 'burnt bowl.' The burnt banh duc is sticky but not sticking, chewy but not hard. Mrs. Minh intentionally makes it a bit burnt because many customers like it that way.
There is no rule stating that after eating banh duc, you must have che (sweet soup) to complete the experience, similar to finishing a plate of bun dau (vermicelli with fried tofu) with a hot tea. But almost everyone who comes here to enjoy banh duc also orders a cup of che. The stall has two types of che: green bean and black bean. The tiny 'black beans' are very fragrant and nutty, not overpowered by the taste of coconut milk or sugar.
Customers visiting Mrs. Minh's banh duc stall feel as if every time they come, it's a journey back to the countryside, sitting and enjoying homemade snacks at the village market. Everything is crafted at home, cooked for the family, and sold to everyone with a genuine passion, not just as a business for profit.
According to Viet Nguyen/Vnexpress
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Reference: Travel guide Mytour
MytourNovember 19, 2018
