Banh chung is a familiar dish every Tet occasion. In recent years, along with the need to refresh the taste, banh chung com has appeared as a variation from the traditional foundation.
Bánh chưng cốm is attractive because of its creative processing method and delicate flavor. The cốm grains from young yellow-flowered sticky rice through meticulous processing hands have created a soft and flexible crust. Cốm gives the crust a natural sweet taste of young rice.
The difference lies in the crust when young rice flakes are mixed with sticky rice, creating a characteristic green color and softness. According to the baker, the mixing ratio is usually about 1 part young rice flakes, 2 parts sticky rice and a moderate amount of salt to maintain a harmonious taste.
Ms. Ta Thi Thang - a banh chung making household in Me Tri village, Hanoi - said: "If you put too many young rice flakes, banh chung will become mushy. If you put too few young rice flakes, the cake will not release its characteristic light flavor.
Although the crust has been renewed, the filling of cốm banh chung still retains the traditional flavor including green beans and pork, pepper. The cake is wrapped in dong leaves, tied with bamboo strings as traditional.
According to Ms. Thang, boiling banh chung com also requires special meticulousness. Banh chung needs to be boiled over low heat, burned slowly but spread evenly throughout the bottom of the pot. In particular, the boiling time of banh chung com is shorter than traditional cakes, only about 6-8 hours. This time is just enough for the com to achieve ideal flexibility without being too mushy, maintaining the perfect texture for the cake.
After boiling, the cake can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer for gradual use.
The aroma of cốm banh chung is not as strong as ordinary sticky rice, but has a slightly sweet taste, faintly fragrant with young rice. When enjoyed, the chewy taste of cốm combined with the fatty taste of meat creates irresistible attraction. Bánh chưng cốm with pickled vegetables or sweet and sour pickled scallions will help balance taste buds, making Tet meals more delicious.
Ms. Thu Ha, a Hanoi diner, commented: "The crust of young sticky rice banh chung has a natural sweetness from young rice, bringing a very different feeling compared to traditional cakes. In particular, the cake has a very beautiful jade green color thanks to the perfect harmony between young sticky rice and dong leaves".
Bánh chưng cốm is best when steamed by water for 20 - 30 minutes. This method helps the cake heat evenly, retaining its flexibility and aroma without making the crust mushy. Besides, bánh chưng cốm rán is a processing method that young families especially favor.
During Tet, customers often buy a couple of young sticky rice cakes, even more, for worship ceremonies on Ong Cong and Ong Tao days, Tet, New Year's Eve... On the market, each young sticky rice cake weighs about 1.2 - 1.3kg, priced at about 100,000 - 140,000 VND.
