Hop Thinh Hon Cake: The Golden Key of Traditional Quality

In the fierce market competition of the food industry, not loud advertising or flashy designs, but product quality is the key factor that helps businesses affirm their position. The story of Hop Thinh Hon Cake, a rustic gift from Phu Tho, is a clear demonstration of this business philosophy: when the product is delicious and unique, the customer will become the most effective communication channel.

For the people of Hoi Thinh, banh hon (a type of Vietnamese rice cake) has become a very familiar part of their traditional feast.

A gift from the countryside that has been with many generations

If Tet cannot lack banh chung, gio lua, and pickled onions, then in the traditional tray of offerings of Phu Tho people, especially Hoi Thinh commune, Hop Thinh banh hon has become an indispensable part of culinary memories.

Hon cake, with its simple, round white shape, no one remembers exactly when it was created or why it has this name. People only know that this cake reminds them of the preciousness of each grain of rice in the rice-growing countryside that has gone through many hardships. For the people of Hoi Thinh, Hon cake has become very familiar, appearing on all important occasions: Tet, weddings, parties, or simply a cozy family meal.

Hot dough is kneaded, flattened, and filled with the sautéed filling (minced pork shoulder, fresh onions, and wood ear mushrooms) before being rolled into a ball like a ping-pong ball.

The ingredients for making Banh Hon are extremely simple: rice, pork, green onions, wood ear mushrooms, and sometimes crushed roasted peanuts. However, to make these round, shiny, fragrant cakes, the baker must be skillful and meticulous from the very first step: Good rice is washed, soaked in water for 3-4 hours, then drained and ground into fine powder. The process of making powder in the past was an interesting memory for the children in the village, when they sat around the hand-grinding stone mortar, witnessing the rice grains turning into pure white powder in an instant.

The flour is drained and stirred over low heat until it thickens and is no longer sticky to the touch.

After grinding, the flour must be “raw” (settled) for several days, the sour water drained and the water replaced continuously to make the cake soft, chewy and have the refined sweetness of rice. The process of draining the flour and shaping the cake is the key step. The flour is “drained” (stirred) on a small stove until it thickens and is no longer sticky. This step requires the worker to be strong and experienced in stirring constantly so that the flour does not clump, burn or become uncooked.

The hot dough is kneaded, flattened, and the stir-fried filling (minced pork shoulder, green onion, wood ear mushroom) is placed in the middle and rolled into a ball like a ping pong ball. The cake is then steamed. When steaming, each piece must be arranged evenly and steamed, or boiled like banh troi. Banh Hon is best when it is just out of the oven, still hot, with a light aroma of country rice and fatty meat filling. The cake is served with a diluted fish sauce that has a sweet taste, similar to the fish sauce for banh cuon.

The mark of OCOP and the pride of our homeland.

In Hop Thinh, Hoi Thinh commune, Phu Tho province, the traditional method of making Hon cakes is still preserved by dozens of households, helping this hometown gift become popular. Among them, the Ta Tuoi Hon Cake brand of Ms. Phung Thi Tuoi is one of the most famous and trusted addresses.

Ms. Phung Thi Tuoi, the owner of the establishment, shared that the input materials play a decisive role in creating a different flavor. Instead of using flour to make vermicelli like many other places, her establishment chooses Bao Thai rice from Ha Giang to make the crust soft and flavorful. The filling must be shoulder meat, a type of meat that is chewy, crispy, and has a balance of lean and fat. Ms. Tuoi emphasized: "We want to develop this banh hon making profession sustainably to preserve the traditional beauty of our homeland."

In 2022, Ta Tuoi rice cakes were recognized as a 3-star OCOP product of the province.

To produce about 100 kg of cakes per day, Ta Tuoi facility must mobilize 5-10 people, working manually through the stages of preparation, frying the filling, stirring the dough, shaping the cakes, boiling and cooling. Thanks to its unique, delicious and easy-to-eat flavor, in 2022, Ta Tuoi Hon Cake was recognized as a 3-star OCOP product of the province.

OCOP certification is an important premise, helping Banh Hon not only become a family dish but also become a specialty ordered by customers for weddings, conferences, and as gifts. Since then, the cake making profession has created more jobs and increased income for local people.

Ms. Phung Thi Tho, a customer from Vinh Phuc ward, expressed her satisfaction: "I feel that Hop Thinh's cake tastes better when dipped in pure fish sauce. The cake is very fragrant and chewy and has a rich, fatty taste of the filling. The flavors of green onions, wood ear mushrooms and fresh meat blend together very harmoniously."

The success of Hop Thinh's Banh Hon is a testament to the enduring value of traditional quality. In modern feasts, the round, chewy white Banh Hon still carries the sweet taste of home-grown rice, the fatty taste of meat filling, and the pride of a specialty imbued with the soul of Phu Tho homeland.

Ngoc Thang

Source: https://baophutho.vn/banh-hon-hop-thinh-chia-khoa-vang-cua-chat-luong-truyen-thong-242571.htm