Standard delicious banh cuon needs to have a thin and transparent white crust, with a slight chewiness and the aroma of rice. However, housewives when making this dish often encounter the situation that the cake is mushy, broken or smells strongly of tapioca starch.
To make authentic Northern-style banh cuon, please refer to some tips from how to choose ingredients to the stage of processing flour, which will help housewives not spend too much time and achieve success from the first time they make it.
Rice type selection
The mistake of housewives right from the start of making banh cuon is choosing the type of rice. Do not use new rice or sticky rice, which will make banh cuon easily sticky and mushy.
The secret of traditional cake stalls is to use harvested rice from 6 months to 1 year. Rice has less resin, which helps the cake crust to be firm, chewy and better maintain its shape. When ground, this type of rice flour will have a clear white color and a mild aroma, without mixing in the strong bran smell like new rice.
Powder mixing ratio
To make the banh cuon smooth and shiny, mix starch for support. Accordingly, the standard recipe will be 4 parts old rice flour, 1 part tapioca starch and a little cornstarch.
Starchy flour creates transparency, while cornstarch helps the cake not sticky and soft when cooled. Adding a little refined salt to the flour mixture will help stabilize the texture and have a richer flavor during making the cake.
Soaking and changing water techniques
The aroma of the banh cuon crust lies in the way it handles the sour smell. After mixing, the dough should be soaked for 4 to 6 hours (or overnight). This process will help the dough absorb enough water, expand evenly and become smoother.
In particular, before making the cake, it is necessary to drain the top layer of water and replace it with equivalent clean water. This operation also completely eliminates the fermented sour smell, ensuring that the cake crust only retains the aroma of rice.
Heat and cooking time
The durability also depends on the steam because when the water in the pot boils vigorously, the cake will cook evenly in just 15-20 seconds. If the steam is weak, the cake will be mushy.
When the flour is puffed up, the banh cuon is completely cooked. Applying a thin layer of scallion oil to the surface also helps protect the chewiness and enhance the fatty flavor of the dish.
