Crispy and fragrant Hai Hau longan-shaped cakes

Longan-shaped cakes - a simple, rustic local delicacy from the Hai Hau region.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the industrial age and modern cuisine , the "bánh nhãn" (longan-shaped cake) – a simple, rustic treat from Hai Hau – still retains its unique flavor in every bite of dough, its sweetness, and its aroma. Each small, round, crispy cake tells stories of diligent hands, of rice-farming culture, and of the enduring development of a traditional craft amidst the changes of modern life.

According to local elders, the craft of making "longan-shaped" cakes dates back to around the late 19th and early 20th centuries ( approximately 1880-1900 ) , the period when the French colonialists began their rule over Vietnam . At that time, it was a handcrafted cake made for holidays , Tet (Lunar New Year), weddings, or as an offering to ancestors. The name "longan-shaped cake" is a folk name because the round, golden-brown shape of the cake after frying resembles a ripe longan fruit; the name is rustic and easy to remember.

Previously, all stages, from washing rice and grinding flour to mixing eggs, kneading dough, shaping cakes, and frying them, were done manually, meticulously. Today, with the help of machinery, many difficult steps have been assisted by machines.

Ms. Vu Thi Hien, the owner of a well-known longan-shaped cake making business in the area, said: To develop the traditional craft, her family, like many other families in the area, has invested in modern machinery such as flour grinders, dough mixers, and longan-shaped cake makers; traditional charcoal and wood-fired ovens have also been replaced with other fuels such as gas and electricity. With the support of machinery, the productivity of the households has increased significantly. A fairly large-scale cake-making household like Ms. Hien's can produce and sell up to 2 tons of longan-shaped cakes per month, and during peak months leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), they can sell up to 5 tons. The cakes are currently exported to many provinces and cities nationwide with prices ranging from 60,000 to 110,000 VND/kg, depending on the type.

The craft of making "bánh nhãn" (a type of Vietnamese rice cake) has provided year-round employment for hundreds of households in Hai Hau. The process begins with selecting ingredients. The ingredients for this sweet and fragrant cake are simple, mostly found in everyday foods and daily necessities: free-range chicken eggs, sugar, glutinous rice flour, and pork fat. The most "valuable" ingredients that determine the deliciousness and aroma of the "bánh nhãn" are the glutinous rice and chicken eggs. "Making 'bánh nhãn' requires choosing glutinous rice to grind into flour. And it must be a long-growing rice variety grown on the fertile, alluvial fields of Hai Hau," Ms. Hien shared. The rice is washed clean, soaked for 6-8 hours, then ground into a watery flour, pressed dry, and mixed with chicken eggs. The glutinous rice flour is kneaded with beaten eggs in a ratio of 1 kg of rice to 1.2 kg of eggs (about 20-23 eggs) to create a sticky consistency and a beautiful golden color. After kneading the dough thoroughly, the baker will shape it into small, finger-sized balls. Frying the cakes is the most laborious and experienced step.

Carefully scooping the cakes out of the large pan of oil, Ms. Hien said, "The heat must be just right, the oil must be evenly heated, and you must fry them in batches without rushing. If the cakes are overcooked, they will be hard, and if they are undercooked, they won't be crispy. If you don't stir them skillfully, they will break, become misshapen, and be unsaleable." Then comes the "sugar coating" process. Sugar is dissolved in water, heated on the stove until the sugar syrup thickens, then the cakes are added and stirred quickly to prevent them from sticking together. When drained, each cake is coated with a layer of sugar syrup. The cakes turn golden brown, and a rich aroma fills the kitchen. Next, the workers let the cakes cool completely so they can be preserved for a long time and not become soggy before packaging them in various sizes of bags and labeling them. The crispy, fluffy, subtly sweet, and fragrant flavor of egg and glutinous rice in these cakes has won over many consumers, from urban to rural areas.

After being fried until golden brown, the longan-shaped cakes are removed from the pan and prepared for the next step.

In 2023, Hai Hau longan cake was honored as one of the typical rural agricultural products of the former Nam Dinh province. This is not only a source of pride but also a motivation for the people here to strive for innovation and adapt to market trends.

“These small, traditional Vietnamese longan-shaped cakes hold a memory, a dream for those of us who make a living from the craft passed down from our ancestors. We hope that one day soon, these cakes will be available in major supermarkets, becoming a gift that embodies Vietnamese identity for tourists both domestic and international,” Ms. Hien shared her simple dream. To achieve this, artisans like her persistently preserve the traditional flavor through their skillful hands and love for the craft.

The baker takes the longan-shaped cakes out to cool completely so that they can be preserved for a long time and not become soggy.

We left Hai Hau as the sun was setting in the west, its weak rays fading. On the bus home, I savored a few of the longan-shaped cakes I'd brought back as souvenirs. The crispy texture and subtle sweetness on my tongue made me feel as if I could hear my grandmother's lullaby, my mother's laughter, and the joyful shouts of children. In those tiny cakes, it turned out, lay a whole realm of simple, sincere, and strangely warm memories.

In this age of technological advancement and fast food, traditional craft villages still endure. And Hai Hau longan-shaped cakes, with their simple name and pure flavor, deserve to represent this sincere local delicacy, embodying the rich rural culture of Northern Vietnam.

Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/gion-thom-banh-nhan-hai-hau-255634.htm