Banh khot, a dish that reminds me of my hometown

In my hometown Vung Tau, almost everyone knows about banh khot. Because it is a rustic, simple, cheap but very delicious cake. More than just a food, banh khot also contains many memories of my childhood.

Banh khot is made from the main ingredient of rice flour, almost without any other type of flour mixed in.

I suddenly remembered the time when I used to live in Japan. Sometimes, on drizzly afternoons, I would walk along the sidewalk and stop by a stall selling a type of "banh khot" called Takoyaki. These are typical Japanese-style cakes stuffed with flour, meticulously baked on metal molds, combined with a little octopus filling and served with sauce. Compared to Vietnamese banh khot made with rice flour, turmeric powder, coconut milk and mung beans, baked in a cheap clay mold, it would be a bit lame. Although Takoyaki is quite to my taste, strangely enough, I still miss the banh khot from my hometown.

Banh khot is originally made from pure rice flour and is almost never mixed with any other type of flour. Sometimes, if you want the cake to have an eye-catching color, people will add a little turmeric powder to create a shiny yellow color. To create a delicious cake, mixing the flour in the right proportion is the deciding factor. The flour must be ground the night before and left overnight, only then will the cake have a crispy and delicious flavor. A standard banh khot in my hometown is usually not too thick or thin, when tasted it will feel crispy but still retain a certain amount of toughness. The filling for banh khot in coastal areas like Vung Tau is usually not meat but made from fresh shrimp. The shrimp is cut off the head, peeled, cleaned and drained, and then added to the banh khot when pouring.

According to my mother, the origin of this cake comes from the banh can dish of the people in Binh Thuan , Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa. When people migrated to new lands, they also brought with them the traditional dishes of their ancestors, gradually changing the way they made it, adding and reducing the flavors to suit the taste of the local people. The name "banh khot" is explained very simply, because during the process of pouring the cake, the maker takes the cake out of the mold, has to use a spoon to stir it up, when the spoon hits the mold, it makes a "khọt khọt" sound, so people named it like that.

During the difficult years of the country, my mother sold banh khot on the coast of Vung Tau. Every time the sun set over the sea, I often went to the stall to help my mother with some chores. Although it was just a simple stall, thanks to my mother's skillful banh khot-making skills, there were quite a lot of customers. Most of the customers were villagers, regardless of adults or children, eagerly waiting for their food on small chairs.

"Every time I return to my hometown..., I am excited to taste the rich, sweet, and spicy flavors, filled with so many old memories..."

On each small table of the guests is always displayed a basket of raw vegetables including many things, typically lettuce, green mustard, Vietnamese mint, herbs... Along with that is a tube of chopsticks, two glass jars filled with fish sauce, garlic, chili and white radish and carrots soaked in vinegar.

My mother often fumbled around the charcoal stove with a fire that was always burning red and slow. On the mouth of the stove was a clay cake mold that had turned yellow over time. Some customers had eaten a few, some hadn't, and without notice, they all watched my mother's hands quickly pouring the cakes. My mother lifted the lid of the mold with her left hand, and with the other hand, she held a thin bamboo stick and gently pried the cakes onto the plate. The cakes were hot, emitting billowing smoke, with the faint aroma of new rice. Then my mother quickly scooped the batter into each mold. The sizzling sounds continued to resound. When the cakes were almost done, the stove made a hissing sound like a trumpet, further urging the hungry stomachs of the customers. My mother would lift the lid of the mold and gently add ladles of coconut milk. In just a split second, the coconut milk would condense on the surface of the cake, forming a layer of milky white cream. In the breeze, the scent of coconut milk, mung beans, and turmeric wafted out, very appealing.

The customers patiently sat and waited, quickly picking some raw vegetables, adding a little fish sauce to dip with the cake and then leisurely enjoying it. Just a little nibble of the cream on the cake will make it melt, mixed with the cool taste of vegetables and a little salty and spicy taste of good fish sauce, creating a harmonious flavor that is difficult to describe.

Many years have passed, I have been so busy with work that I rarely have the opportunity to return to my hometown. Occasionally, when I have the chance to return, I see the small road from the past has been widened and paved smoothly. The two rows of houses have now been transformed into shops selling all kinds of food. My mother has stopped selling for a few years now, because her health is not as good as before. However, the banh khot shops along the coast are still there. I stopped by and sat down on a plastic chair. The salesgirl gave me a small plate, I excitedly tasted the fatty, sweet and spicy flavors, evoking so many old memories...

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/banh-khot-mon-an-goi-nho-huong-vi-que-nha-185231221082125553.htm