Thai Nguyen specialties are delicious and nutritious. Hanoi customers order them to be shipped more than 160km away to eat.

Not only impressing with its delicious flavor and eye-catching color, this rustic specialty in Thai Nguyen is also popular because it is made from precious medicinal herbs that have the effect of regulating blood circulation, preventing headaches, flu, etc.

Ngải cake is a famous specialty of the Tay ethnic people in Thai Nguyen (formerly Bac Kan province), and was once in the Top 100 Vietnamese specialty dishes 2021-2022 announced by the Vietnam Record Organization (Vietkings) and Top Vietnam Organization (VietTop).

At first glance, this cake looks similar to the lowland rice cake but the crust is shiny and has a strange green color. The reason for its name and appearance is because the wormwood cake is made from the vegetable of the same name.

According to locals, thanks to the cool weather, mugwort here grows well all year round, without requiring much care, just adequate watering.

This vegetable is usually harvested young to reduce bitterness and preserve freshness.

“For the Tay people, mugwort is not only a daily vegetable, but during the off-season, this ingredient is also used to make cakes.

At first, wormwood cake only appeared in local holiday trays, weddings or death anniversaries, but gradually became more popular, becoming a rustic delicacy sought after by diners," said Ms. Nong Huyen (Cho Ra commune, Thai Nguyen province).

Ngải cake is a specialty of the Tay people in Thai Nguyen (formerly Bac Kan province). In some other localities such as Lang Son and Tuyen Quang, this cake is also popular. Photo: Linh Trang

Ms. Huyen said that the wormwood cake is made from wormwood, sticky rice, peanuts, sesame and sugar. Although it is made from simple ingredients, to make this cake delicious, the maker must be meticulous and elaborate.

To make the wormwood cake sticky and fragrant, people must use upland sticky rice with large, plump grains and not even a single grain of rice mixed in. The wormwood leaves must also be young because old leaves will be tough and bitter.

Mugwort is skillfully prepared to reduce its bitterness. Photo: Trang Ha Du

Sticky rice is soaked overnight (about 6-8 hours), then taken out and steamed to make sticky rice. Mugwort is picked and washed, then boiled with lime water to keep its beautiful green color.

When the vegetables are cooked, take them out, squeeze out all the water, chop them, and stir-fry them in a cast iron pan. While stir-frying, pay attention to keeping the heat at a moderate level and stirring constantly to help reduce the bitterness of the mugwort.

“Depending on the place and family, people can add stir-fried mugwort to the sticky rice, or wait for the sticky rice to cook before adding dry stir-fried mugwort, pounding it to create a soft, smooth and viscous dough,” said Ms. Huyen.

Cooked sticky rice must be pounded while still hot with mugwort leaves to make the cake soft, smooth and fragrant.

According to Tay custom, the sticky rice pounding process is usually done by men. At the same time, the women in the house will prepare the cake filling made from peanuts and sugar.

People boil rock sugar until it becomes molasses, then add peanuts and stir well. Wait for the mixture to dry before crushing it. In some places, in addition to the traditional ingredients of sugar and peanuts, people also use black sesame.

“Instead of simmering sugar and adding sesame and peanuts and then pounding, some families will pound or coarsely grind the above ingredients.

However, you should only grind or pound it moderately so that when you eat it, you can still feel the delicious taste of the filling," the Tay woman added.

Ngải cake is a familiar daily dish of the Tay people, appearing on the tray of offerings during Tet holidays, death anniversaries or local weddings. Photo: Street Food Thao Vy

To make the wormwood cake look shiny and avoid sticking to your hands, locals often rub a little lard or beeswax on their palms, then roll out the thin crust, add the filling, and shape it.

The cake is shaped into a circle, then flattened, the filling is placed in the middle, and the crust is wrapped around the filling, forming a shape like a rice cake.

Each hot cake is placed on a small round of banana leaf the size of the cake to prevent them from sticking together. The banana leaves should be heated over a fire before use to release their fragrance and prevent sticking.

People can also wrap about 10 small cakes in a layer of banana leaves to keep the cakes longer and make it convenient to display and enjoy.

Mugwort cake is not only delicious but also good for your health. Photo: Trang Ha Du

Ms. Ngoc Lan (Hanoi) had the opportunity to enjoy wormwood cake several times when she visited the old Bac Kan province. She commented that at first sight and hearing the name of this cake, many people do not dare to eat it, but after tasting it, they find it is far from imagination.

“The wormwood cake is skillfully prepared so it is easy to eat, refreshing without being greasy. The wormwood leaves are not bitter but only a little pungent and fragrant, combined with the stickiness and sweetness of sugar and sticky rice, it is even more attractive,” Ms. Lan described.

Because of the impression of this rustic specialty flavor, sometimes, she still orders wormwood cakes from Thai Nguyen, buying hundreds of pieces at a time, to eat and give as gifts to relatives and friends.

The wormwood cakes are wrapped in banana leaves and transported to many provinces in the lowlands, priced at 50,000 - 70,000 VND/package of 10. Photo: Ha Linh

This woman said that the wormwood cake was shipped over 160km and still retained its softness and aroma when it reached Hanoi. The cake can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days, and when ready to eat, just take it out and reheat it.

“Mugwort cake is not only delicious and unique, but also nutritious and considered a precious medicine, good for women,” she added.

According to the book Vietnamese Medicinal Plants and Herbs (Part II) by Professor, Doctor Do Tat Loi, in Oriental medicine, mugwort is a slightly warm and spicy medicinal herb, used to regulate blood circulation, relieve colds, regulate menstruation, stabilize pregnancy or treat abdominal pain due to cold, irregular menstruation, nosebleeds, vomiting blood...

A Western tourist tried a dish as soon as he returned to Hanoi, from 'not suitable' to praising it as delicious. The hot dish, suitable for breakfast, made two Western tourists have different feelings. While Danny found it very delicious, Diggy admitted that he was not satisfied at first because it did not suit his taste.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dac-san-thai-nguyen-ngon-lai-bo-khach-ha-noi-dat-ship-hon-160km-ve-an-2458096.html