When mentioning Thanh Hoa specialties, many people think of banh khoai tep with a thin, crispy crust. However, Thanh land also has another rustic banh khoai that is equally attractive to diners, which is banh khoai no gang.
Sharing the same name as banh khoai, many people mistakenly confuse banh khoai no gang with banh khoai tep. In fact, these are two different types with different ingredients, processing methods, and enjoyment.
Thanh Hoa cast iron pot banh khoai is different from banh khoai dishes in Quang Tri and Hue City, which are elaborate in processing methods and diverse in ingredients. Banh khoai in these provinces and cities often has shrimp, meat, and even whole fish like banh khoai fish.
Banh khoai noi gang in Thanh Hoa is made from quite familiar ingredients including plain rice flour, fatty meat, pork belly, chicken eggs. Especially, the cake does not use shrimp, shrimp paste, water spinach, cabbage - an important point to distinguish this dish from banh khoai tep.
Diners will rarely see "banh khoai noi gang" in spacious and luxurious eateries, but mainly in small eateries, decorated with just enough a stove and a few pairs of tables and chairs. Especially the baking stoves are thick cast iron pots and pans, using firewood or charcoal stoves.
The seller prepares finely ground ordinary rice flour mixed with moderate water, diced meat, and evenly beaten chicken eggs. The hot stove will spread pork fat on the surface of the pan, and when diners come to eat, the seller will start frying the cake to ensure the hot and crispy texture.
The way to fry banh khoai in a cast iron pot also has its own points. Currently, the maker mainly frys the cake on a cast iron pan, when the pan surface is evenly hot, scoop each spoonful of rice flour and pour it into clusters, the diameter of each cake is only about 10 - 12cm, then continue to add the filling which is egg and meat on top, then cover it with small earthenware or aluminum, stainless steel lids with handles.
While watching the fire to flip the cake, the seller quickly prepares more dipping sauce for customers. Sweet and sour dipping sauce mixed from delicious fruit, vinegar, sugar, minced garlic and chili and pickled green papaya or green figs. When the crust is golden brown and crispy from the edge, the filling is cooked evenly, the cake can be taken out, cut into bite-sized pieces for customers to enjoy.
A cake costs from 15,000 VND, usually sold in pairs of 2, 4, 6 pieces... Customers eating on the spot or bringing home can also include sweet and sour dipping sauce and fresh vegetables. Customers eating on the spot can add or subtract according to their personal taste with fresh lemon and chili.
Banh khoai noi rang is not only a separate snack but also eaten with bun la, seasonal raw vegetables. A plate of raw vegetables usually includes húng, kinh giới, mùi, lettuce, green star fruit...
Crispy and hot cooked cake dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce, sandwiched with raw vegetables, figs, and green star fruit. All make the flavor of the dish balanced and blended in just one bite. The fatty taste of fried eggs and meat in the cake and the cool taste of vegetables and dipping sauce blend together, making diners not know they are tired once they eat.
In Thanh Hoa, if banh khoai tep stalls can be found everywhere, banh khoai no gang is currently most prominent in only two places: Mrs. Ninh's shop (Dong Phat Apartment Complex) only selling on weekends and Mrs. My's shop (Tong Duy Tan street) selling daily.
