Whilst friends always told me that “Bánh căn” is available all year round, I think these small cakes are best in the autumn. Plus at this time Nha Trang city is always at its best.
The standard of “Bánh căn” is good thanks to the type of rice powder, fish sauce and green onions used. The rice used to make the powder has to be old rice in order to make the cake crispy. If it is new rice the cake will be soft and sticky difficult to remove from the mold. To make good cakes, cooks normally put a little bit of old steamed rice, dried under the sun, into the mix when making the rice powder.
The fish sauce served with “Bánh căn” is made by mixing good quality fish sauce with garlic and chili. The taste can be adjusted to suit the individual. It can be sour and spicy with garlic, chili, lemon and sugar or it sweet with the addition of pineapple juice, tomato juice. Occasionally it is made with soy sauce; sometimes adding thinly sliced green mango. Fish sauce is the most important key factor in preparing truly delicious “Bánh căn”.
The cooking method is also very simple. The fire is set up in an area that is sheltered from the windy. When embers are hot the mold is placed to preheat to a high temperature. Next a small amount of oil is placed into each small mold to prevent the sticking. The mixture is then added and the lid is closed. After few minutes and with a delightful aroma permeating the air, we open the mold check that the surface of the cake is crispy before using a chopstick to free the cake from the mold.
Travelling to the South Central region part of my quest to look for country dishes from around the country, I had the opportunity to return to Nha Trang. I used to stay here for a long time and have many happy memories. Nha Trang in the autumn really is at its best, with the lush greenery complemented by the purple blooms of the myrtle trees. This made me realize how much I missed “Bánh căn”.
In the late autumn of the year before last, I came to Nha Trang, alone on a countrywide journey and enjoyed some “Bánh căn”. I have often enjoyed these small, round cakes in Phan Rang, Phan Thiet, Da Lat, Ninh Thuan or Binh Dinh provinces, but the ones I miss the most are those that I had in late autumn in Nha Trang City.
“Bánh căn” is a similar shape as “Bánh khọt” from the South, but the cooking method is absolutely different. “Bánh căn” is baked in a special earthenware mold, whereas its southern relative is fried in oil. “Bánh căn” cakes are small so normally they are ordered in pairs and not a single cake. In the middle they put green onion or egg.
My friend told me that most families in Nha Trang usually have a “Bánh căn” mold. We don’t need the excuse of a special occasion to make it. “Bánh căn” can be cooked at any time for people to enjoy.
A long time ago when the economy was poor and life was difficult, we only needed rice powder and fish sauce to make a tray of delicious “Bánh căn”. Nowadays as life is getting better “Bánh căn” is cooked with shrimps and pork and, complicated techniques are employed. The cakes are made everywhere; in simple family homes, to larger households, restaurants and hotels. This is a dish for everyone, whether from Vietnam or abroad.
Nowadays the “Bánh căn” molds are not found as commonly in as many family homes. As life gets more modern, time becomes a rarer commodity and not many people have time to sit down to making “Bánh căn” anymore.
The standard of “Bánh căn” is good thanks to the type of rice powder, fish sauce and green onions used. The rice used to make the powder has to be old rice in order to make the cake crispy. If it is new rice the cake will be soft and sticky difficult to remove from the mold. To make good cakes, cooks normally put a little bit of old steamed rice, dried under the sun, into the mix when making the rice powder.
The fish sauce served with “Bánh căn” is made by mixing good quality fish sauce with garlic and chili. The taste can be adjusted to suit the individual. It can be sour and spicy with garlic, chili, lemon and sugar or it sweet with the addition of pineapple juice, tomato juice. Occasionally it is made with soy sauce; sometimes adding thinly sliced green mango. Fish sauce is the most important key factor in preparing truly delicious “Bánh căn”.
The cooking method is also very simple. The fire is set up in an area that is sheltered from the windy. When embers are hot the mold is placed to preheat to a high temperature. Next a small amount of oil is placed into each small mold to prevent the sticking. The mixture is then added and the lid is closed. After few minutes and with a delightful aroma permeating the air, we open the mold check that the surface of the cake is crispy before using a chopstick to free the cake from the mold.
A delicious “Bánh căn” is enjoyed with green onions or chives mixed with oil. Chefs also make it with egg, meat, beef, squid, mint and shrimp or a mixture of them all. The dish is also served with fish sauce mixed with a little bit of fish soup, containing unicorn leatherjacket, Spotted Longbarbel Catfish, Pony fish and tuna fish. This is mixed with a little onion, oil and thinly sliced green mango. These tastes are superb and have a good smell of garlic, the sweetness of the fish; the sourness of the mango; and the spice of the chili. They are very morish. In some places they replace the fish soup with a fish sauce and meatballs.
In Nha Trang you don’t have to walk far before seeing a Bánh Căn shop. On streets such as Thap Ba, Ly Thanh Ton, To Hien Thanh, Hoang Van Thu and Phuong Sai, there are a few dozen long established shops here. Some of the more popular shops are situated on Thông tin St (Thong Nhat St); Sinh Trung St or Lý Thánh Tôn St.
Many of the shops stocking Bánh Căn need 4 to 5 shop assistants just to deal with this and long queues are common.
Because of its popularity there have been 5 festivals in Nha Trang
already and “Bánh căn” is always
selected as the traditional dish in any cuisine contests as an introduction to
visitors from around the country. It isn’t by accident that “Bánh Căn” has been added into the Menu
of many luxury restaurant and hotels as a specialty of the Khanh Hoa Province.
Whilst friends always told me that “Bánh căn” is available all year
round, I think these small cakes are
best in the autumn. Plus at this time Nha Trang city is always at its best.
Acording to V.H
Dan Tri Newspaper
*. Extracted from articles written especially
for Golden Spoon 2014 called “A journey of searching traditional rustic dishes”