Banh Duc Nghe An

Nowadays, after the ebb and flow of history, Duc Cake is still a familiar cuisine to every family in Nghe An. There are two fundamental ingredients: Te rice and lime water. The former, Te rice, must be white and pure, which means that it is not mixed with any other types of rice. To prepare the rice, we grind it and keep it covered overnight to make it rise. The latter, lime water, can be made by pouring lime into water and stir continuously for a few minutes. Next, we pour the rice flour into the transparent filtered lime water and then pour both of them into a pot. After steaming, we can use the dough to create many different types of Duc cake. For example, we can wrap the dough in banana leaves, or make small round and flat pieces. Interestingly, these pieces can be pile up to form a 9-storey tower!
Photo: nauankhongkho.com

During Tet holiday or family gathering events, the cakes are made with a more complicated recipe. People will add lean pork and fried Vietnamese onions to the boiling pot. Thus, when the dough is done, it will have onions and meat as well. In some certain places, people also add peanuts to make the cake crunchier!

People in Vietnam love eating Duc Cake with special local sauces such as Cáy Sauce, crab sauce, or Tương Sauce, etc. Letting the soft sticky cake melt in their mouth, they claim that they can feel the familiar taste of good Te rice, pork, and spice!