Banh duc is a rustic cake of Vietnamese people. Despite the simplicity, its flavour is really an unforgettable thing to anyone who ever tastes it.
Banh duc is popular in Northern villages such as Dien village, Chay market, Lai Dong (in Hanoi today), Dong Quang village (Yen Dung, Bac Giang), Thanh Ha (Ha Nam). There are some places in Hanoi used to famous for banh duc like Sinh Tu street, Cot village.
Banh duc is easy to make but how to have a good banh duc is a difficult mission requiring delicacy. Banh duc must be made of non-glutinous rice, particularly the old rice so that the cake would be soft if hot and harden when being cool. One of the most secret to producing a good banh duc is lime. The lime should be added just enough, no less, no more. Any excess or deficiency would destroy the shape of the cake.
Firstly, they soak rice in water for a few days, drain and then grind into flour. Rice flour was dissolved in lime water. Next, the spread a little oil onto the pot to create rich flavour for the cake. Pour the flour into the pot and keep stirring until it gets thick.
Banh duc is often served with soy sauce, fish sauce or fermented shrimp paste. Banh duc in the South is included savoury filling made of pork, shrimp…
Banh duc is nicely smooth and soft, a little bit salted and very tasty. In Hanoi, we have banh duc with peanuts and served with various savoury foods. Apart from rice banh duc, Vietnamese people also make banh duc from corn flour, which is not as good as rice banh duc but its taste is quite strange and distinctive.
The Southern banh duc looks like a jelly cut into blocks. The way to make Southern banh duc is similar to Northern banh duc. However, it is topped with coconut milk. Therefore, the banh duc in the South is very tasty and sweet-smelling.
These days, it’s not easy to find banh duc on the street. Thus, it is not so as popular in Vietnamese cuisine as it used to in the past.