Most typical dishes on the Mid-autumn festival in Hà Nội
VGP - The specialty for the Mid-Autumn festival in Việt Nam is moon cake - bánh nướng (baked cake) and bánh dẻo (sticky cake). These are small cakes (150-200g) usually made in square molds with decorative patterns on the surface, although recently moon and carp shape versions have begun to appear in Hà Nội.
The taste of moon cakes is different in the North and the
South. The crust of bánh nướng is made from flour; its stuffing is a
mixture of pumpkin jam, peeled pumpkin seeds, lard, pickled egg yolk and lemon
leaves. After being cooked, bánh nướng must be kept for several days to
allow the oil to penetrate and soften the crust. Bánh dẻo are made from
fried sticky rice mixed with sugar and put in a mould. The stuffing is also
made of the same ingredients as bánh nướng but added with ground lotus
seeds and fried sesame. The special taste of Hà Nội’s bánh dẻo is due to
the fragrance of pomelo.
Bánh
nướng (L) and bánh dẻo (R)
Nowadays in Hà Nội, there are many kinds of moon cakes with
different tastes, shapes, and sizes. Confectionary companies such as Kinh Đô, Đồng
Khánh, and Hữu Nghị make many varieties of moon cake on an industrialized
production line. Some of the ingredients commonly added are red bean, Chinese
sausage, Indian taro, green rice flakes, and momordica. However, most families
in Hà Nội like the traditional taste of the handmade cakes. In the old streets
of Hà Nội there are shops such as Ngọc Anh, Hưng Thịnh at Number 13, 15 Hàng Đường;
Ninh Hương at 22 Hàng Điếu, Công Trung at 80 Hàng Bồ that specialize in making
and selling traditional moon cakes.
