Man de cake is a unique specialty that tourists can only easily find at Chau Doc market, An Giang.
The West is famous for many unique cakes that are loved by tourists from all over such as khot cake, banana cake, it cake, sewer cake... However, there is a type of cake that has existed for ten years but is not popular with all tourists. I also know that it is banh man de, or banh che Chau Doc.
Banh man de originates from Cambodia and was introduced to Vietnam many years ago. Previously, this cake was sold quite commonly in Western markets. In Ho Chi Minh City today, it is very difficult for diners to find banh man de.
A peddler of banh man de at Chau Doc market, An Giang. Photo: Street Food Thao Vy
When hearing the name for the first time, diners may associate Banh Man Se with the meaning of eating sparingly, or preparing little by little. In fact, the name is simply based on the cake ingredients. Unlike many Western cakes that are often made from wheat flour, glutinous rice flour or plain rice flour, man de cake is made from the powder of the palm tree that only grows in Cambodia. That's why bakers have to find acquaintances to be able to import cypress powder to make cakes.
Nowadays, the palm tree in Cambodia is very rare, so finding cake flour has also become more difficult, and this rustic cake is not as popular as before. The crust is made from cypress powder, covered with pureed green beans.
Man de cake has a slightly clear crust. Photo: Street Food Thao Vy
Next, for the crust, people mix papaya powder with water, add a little palm sugar to create a sweet taste. After stirring the powder well, put it on the stove and cook over low heat and stir well until it becomes clear.
Finally, the worker puts a layer of flour into the bowl, adds a slice of green beans in the middle and then covers it with another layer of flour. After a few hours, the cake will solidify and can be easily removed from the bowl. In addition to yellow from palm sugar, some people also create green from pandan leaves, purple from magenta leaves...
Each finished cake is smooth and plump, looking extremely pleasing to the eye. When eating, you will flood the cake with coconut milk and sprinkle with fragrant roasted sesame seeds. The crust of the banh man de is as rough as jelly, the filling is fatty and the taste is cool and easy to eat. This is definitely a great cooling dish for hot days.
Fatty coconut milk helps make banh man de more attractive. Photo: Street Food Thao Vy
The cake is made from hard-to-find ingredients, the whole process is done by hand but is sold for only a few thousand dong per piece. In the entire Chau Doc market, there is currently only one vendor selling Man De cakes, which is why the cakes sell out very quickly. This is considered a rare address that still sells this type of cake in the West.
In addition, in Ho Chi Minh City, visitors can find and buy carts selling banh man se near Long Van Pagoda, Hung Phu Street, District 8, Ho Chi Minh City. The characteristic of this cake is the use of pandan leaves, so the cake dough has a more opaque green color. This address only sells banh man de on weekends, limited quantity.
Laodong.vn
