Banh tet with camphor leaves - famous specialty of Can Tho river country

Banh tet for people in the South, especially in the Mekong River region, is as close and familiar as a daily rice dish. In that popular familiarity, there are also unique features that other places do not have, typically Can Tho's banh tet with camphor leaves - making a strong mark in the cuisine of the Southwest region in general. This dish is popular and impressive because of the color creativity in the process of creating the cake.

Interesting story behind the unique cake of Can Tho people

Just like banh chung in the North, banh tet is a rustic, beloved gift that is indispensable every Tet and spring in Dang Trong. From traditional banh tet, with constant creativity, people have created many types of banh tet with rich colors and flavors. Among them, banh tet with black leaves is a specialty of the Can Tho river region.

Located deep in a small alley of Binh Thuy district, about 10km from the center of Can Tho city, the Huynh family has more than twenty members of three generations working in the profession of making banh tet. Ms. Duong Thi Xinh (daughter of Mr. Huynh Thi Trong - the creator of the first green leaf Tet cake in Vietnam) shared about the birth of this unique cake. Ms. Xinh said that her mother, Huynh Thi Trong, has been wrapping banh tet since she was in her twenties. One day, by chance, she used camphor leaf water to mix sticky rice with the idea of ​​renewing the familiar green cake. belongs to this. And from there, the first banh tet with camphor leaves were born. The purple color of the leaves not only makes the cakes more beautiful, but it also brings many health benefits. It wasn't until 2012, when famous chef Martin Yan - Yan Can Cook came to film, that banh tet with green leaves became widely known.

The secret to creating a leaf cake has been passed down through generations

Bite into each piece of fragrant sticky rice cake with the smell of black sticky rice plus a little fatty taste of salted eggs, meat, beans mixed somewhere with the occasional smell of coconut milk, combining each thing together to form the filling for banh tet with black leaves. name. Surely anyone who has ever eaten this cake is curious about how this unique cake is made. The ingredients to make a very simple banh tet include: green beans, grated coconut, pandan leaves, pork belly, black leaves, sticky rice, string, purple onion, salt, cooking oil, sugar, seasoning.

In particular, Ms. Xinh also shared some ways to create a delicious banh tet: "If you want the cake to be flexible and delicious, you have to choose the sticky rice. If you want the cake to be bright in color, you have to choose fresh camphor leaves and then stir-fry with coconut milk and meat." must be fresh, stir-fried green beans, meat, salted eggs must all be seasoned and seasoned to suit the taste; When boiling, you must watch the cake and stir well,..." After a few hours of cooking on a hot charcoal stove, delicious and flavorful banh tet will be produced.

Banh tet with camphor leaves - the simple beauty of Can Tho people

Banh tet is a typical cake of Southern people during traditional Tet and carries great cultural value of the nation.

Banh tet with black leaves represents the maximum exploitation of agricultural residents. Because banh tet contains a long-standing wet rice civilization in the Mekong Delta. The leaves used to wrap the cake are canna leaves available in nature. Sticky rice, green beans, and pork are also agricultural products. The color of the cake is milled from black leaves mixed with sticky rice, everything blends together to create an appeal not only in color and flavor for the dish but also shows the harmony and closeness of heaven and earth. in each ingredient.

From rustic agricultural products, many generations of Can Tho black leaf cake makers have created a rustic but famous product throughout the West. Pairs of round banh tet not only express the wish for prosperity and fullness in the early days of Spring but also remind of traditional cultural customs in each person's life.

If you have the opportunity to visit Can Tho, a rich land with simple people and a diverse culinary culture, don't forget to stop by and buy a batch of banh tet with camphor leaves as a gift!./.