Mrs. Am's shrimp cake shop sells 1,000 pieces a day in Dong Xuan market alley, Hanoi

In the alley of Dong Xuan market, Mrs. Am's shrimp cakes are the most popular place. The small restaurant, only about 5-6 square meters wide, is always full. Dozens of other customers stand around, waiting to buy to take away. With only two pans of oil, a stainless steel table and a dozen plastic chairs, the restaurant still sells thousands of shrimp cakes every day. "This shrimp cake shop has supported my family for generations," said Mrs. Pham Thi Am (born in 1965), the owner.

Mrs. Am has been selling shrimp cakes in this market alley for more than 30 years. Her mother passed her the shrimp cake recipe and then gradually handed it over to her to manage.

In Hanoi, it is not difficult to find shops selling shrimp cakes, but not all places are as popular as Mrs. Am's shrimp cakes. Here, the cake dough is not only made of wheat flour and tapioca flour, but is mixed in the right proportion with eggs and turmeric powder, beaten until smooth and supple, then julienned sweet potatoes are added. The sweet potatoes are hand-sliced into small pieces, so they will be crispy when fried with the dough. The potatoes make the cake sweeter, richer, and more fragrant than other places.

Mrs. Am carefully selects the shrimp to ensure that when fried, it is still fresh, the meat is sweet and firm. At the restaurant, each portion of shrimp cake is served with sweet and sour sauce, papaya and carrot salad and raw vegetables. The shrimp cake will be more delicious when eaten hot, because when dipped in sweet and sour sauce, the cake will still retain its crunchiness.

Sharing about the cake making process, Mrs. Am said that this is a traditional family secret that cannot be revealed. However, Mrs. Am affirmed that to make a delicious dish, first of all, the ingredients must be fresh and of good quality.

According to Ms. Am, the most elaborate part of shrimp cake is the flour. The restaurant's flour is finely ground from delicious rice. "The crust must be crispy but not greasy when bitten. The shrimp must be fresh so that customers can taste the harmony between the flour's aroma, the shrimp's aroma, and the raw vegetables," Ms. Am said.

The restaurant has two large pans of oil, which are constantly running at full capacity. Each batch of frying is about 20 pieces, each one taking 5-7 minutes to complete. Each cake is as big as the palm of your hand, with a crispy golden crust underneath, and two whole shrimps "hugging" each other on top.

With over 30 years of experience, Mrs. Am's movements are quick and agile. She uses a ladle to scoop a moderate amount of sweet potato flour, places it on two shrimps, and then drops it into a pan of boiling oil for a few seconds until the flour gradually cooks and is no longer sticky. Then Mrs. Am lifts the ladle of flour to another pan, pours out the cakes, and fries them for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Currently, she has a daughter and another person helping her fry the cakes.

During lunchtime or after work, the cakes are sold out as soon as they are served. Many customers have to wait 20-30 minutes, or even hours, for their turn to buy. The restaurant is small, so it can only serve a maximum of 20 customers at a time, not including customers who order online. In recent years, the restaurant has not only attracted Vietnamese customers but also many international customers.

"Maybe because my restaurant is traditional, many foreign customers are curious to visit and enjoy the taste. Many times, when I see customers having to wait in line or leave because it takes too long, I feel very guilty," said Ms. Am.

According to Ms. Am, she wakes up at 5am every day to prepare the ingredients. The shop opens at two times each day, 10:30am-1pm and 3pm-5:30pm, with the busiest time being at noon and around 4pm onwards. Ms. Am said that the peak season is in the fall and winter, when she sells nearly 1,200 pieces a day. In the hot summer, sales are lower.

Currently, Mrs. Am's shop sells 800-1000 cakes per day, each cake costs 13,000 VND.

At the age of 58, with her health gradually declining, Mrs. Am does not know how much longer she can maintain the restaurant. Currently, the restaurant has 2 people helping Mrs. Am sell goods, one of whom is her biological daughter. Talking about the future of the restaurant, Mrs. Am shared: “In the future, I want my daughter to take over and continue to develop the shrimp cake restaurant. To me, this restaurant is very important. This is not only a place to make a living but also a traditional family profession.”

The restaurant has a narrow space, quite shabby and located at the beginning of the alley, so there are many people and vehicles passing by. The advantage of the shrimp cake here is that the cake crust is fragrant, crispy, not too dry or greasy. The dipping sauce is considered not too special but suitable, harmonious with the cake. The price at the restaurant is also quite cheap.

Article and photos: Kim Ngan

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