Tien Yen land ( Quang Ninh ) is not only known for some specialties such as khau nhuc, hill chicken, ... but also has a rustic but equally famous delicacy, strange from the name to the way of eating. That is nodding cake.

This unique name comes from the shape of the cake. The cake has no filling, is rolled up, long and has a elasticity so when held in the hand, it will shake up and down, looking like it is shaking.

Unique nodding cake attracts customers in Tien Yen, Quang Ninh. Source: @pinkthuong

Ms. Tuyet - a long-time nodding cake maker in Tien Yen district said that to make delicious nodding cake requires a meticulous and skillful preparation process.

First, the rice must be carefully selected, soaked the night before and then taken out the next morning. Wait for the rice to drain and then grind it into wet flour.

In the past, local people used to grind rice manually with stone mills to preserve the traditional flavor of the cake. However, nowadays, when the demand for nodding cakes is higher, people have switched to using modern machines, which both save labor and give high productivity.

Nodding cake looks quite simple but requires a meticulous and elaborate preparation process. Photo: Vu Huong Giang

According to Ms. Tuyet, although the appearance of the nodding cake is quite similar to pho cake or rolled cake, the way of making it is more unique. Specifically, during the process of grinding the flour, people often add cold rice. This method helps the cake to be fluffy, spongy and smooth when spread.

When making the cake, the maker also needs to be skillful, ensuring to measure the right amount of dough onto the mold, spreading it evenly in a circle. The dough layer must be thinner than rice paper and thicker than rice rolls. Then, cover the lid and wait for the cake to cook.

The cooked cake will puff up. At this point, people use bamboo sticks to skillfully peel off the hot cake and continue to make a new batch.

Before being rolled, banh nong gu is similar to banh cuon or banh pho but without any filling. When finished rolling, the cake is round, long and flexible, about the size of 1-2 fingertips.

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The dipping sauce is considered the “soul” of the nodding cake, an important factor that determines the flavor of the dish. Photo: Thao Sun

In addition to the elaborate preparation process, the secret to making delicious nodding cakes also depends on the "divine" dipping sauce. Accordingly, this dipping sauce is varied by Tien Yen people, depending on each person's taste, but the most popular is still fish sauce simmered with chicken fat, adding fried onions and minced meat to increase the attractiveness.

Ms. Thu Thuy, a resident of Tien Yen, said that the nodding cake is best eaten hot. At that time, the cake still retains the fragrant, soft, slightly sweet taste of rice, and is still delicious without dipping sauce.

“Although the cake looks quite simple, it has a delicious taste and is easy to eat, and can be enjoyed by both the elderly and children. In my hometown, buying banh nong gu by the kilo is not uncommon. People often buy a few kilos to eat right away or process into different dishes. Once, I ate a whole kilo and still craved it, especially on cold days,” said Ms. Thuy.

According to this woman, the nodding cake is made from fresh rice flour, so it is best eaten on the same day. If you do not use it all, you can store it in the refrigerator, cut it into small pieces, and make many variations to change the taste, such as stir-frying it with beef, eating it with bone broth like vermicelli or pho, or pouring it into hot soup, etc.

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