Banh Phu The- Vietnamese Conjugal Cakes

Stories that when King Ly Anh Tong went to war, the wife of the husband's love him to the kitchen manually making cakes for her husband. King find delicious food, to think of a couple named cake is Phu The cake(husband and wife cake).

Phu The cake pack in the phrynium, not garish colors, restrained in style but take off cake bringing white porcelain disk that will enjoy to make astonished. The black sesame as a suspension of the gold shell cakes throughout, the delicious cake circle, square shape with coconut leaves as the square of the circle of Yin and Yang philosophy

This is reflected in the form of bread made of the box is based in two parts: in the box, also called sound box - small, low case and the cake outside the box, also called positive list, larger a little box up on the sound, making the cover. In addition, positive-negative philosophy also shows quite clearly how the cake.

To create a Phu The cake, people settle thin powder on campus, located on the top, emtank remaining flour onto the show as cherish, protection as conjugal affection. Not the case, Phu The cake also include it in the philosophy the team recreate a fine last year's color wheel: white powder by filtration and coconut rice, yellow of gardenia use for skin cake and green bean fine grinding of kernel cake, black of seseam, green leaves and red of bamboo string .

It is the harmony between people with land, with heaven, the harmony between the people, between the husband and wife.

The meaning of harmony Yin and Yang with delicious taste sweeter make that cake mate also requires many wonder. Flour used as a cake is made from sticky rice milling, and then get to the filter, the pressure to drain and then dried. When processing, it is not using water mixed with food color water that use water of gardenia dedicated knead flour to keep bread with gold colors throughout nature.

The processing kernel of cake take care. We use green beans ripe steam it, then add white sugar, coconut rice, lotus seeds and the five tastes . To add to the delicious cake, the processing of any hillock green papaya, soaked alum and minced with flour and bread to more brittle for cake.

When you should enjoy the Phu The cake, addition of sticky plastic, brittle of papaya, the rich green beans also have more fat in the coconut rice, the fragrant lotus seeds , and the sweetness of sand white sugar... all right together create a very own taste of Phu The cake, has once tasted will not forget, feedback will remember, remember forever, such as emotional mate sustainable sweeter.

Today, many pre- wedding and wedding cake still choose Phu The cake as offering the meaning of Yin and Yang of it. Instead of coconut leaves used as a cake box as before, it is replaced by the glazed paper, forced by color ribbon.

Fresh air between pleased joyful wedding day, sweeter flavors, delicious cake and the meaning of "square circle" heaven and earth as harmony, one hundred year durable forever that gifts are meaningful that Phu The cake gives bride and bridegroom in the most important of life's

Vietnamese tea

...is what you often here when walking along Hanoi streets, near a lamp post, under the shade of a tree, or next to a door where there is a low table with glass pots containing different kinds of candies, roasted ground nuts, and sugar coated cakes. This is a complete description of a make-shift tea shop, which is a very popular part of Vietnamese street life.

The owner skillfully lifts the cap of the tea cozy, takes out the tea pot, and then pours the hot tea into a small cup. The owner then hands the cup of steaming tea to the customer. Unlike northerners, who prefer hot steamy tea, people in the south would like to add ice cubes to their tea cups/glasses due to weather difference.

Tea drinking - an indispensable habit.

Vietnamese people have a nice habit of drinking tea. They drink it everywhere and at any time: at home, at workplaces, even in tea shops on their way to work, or at formal meetings, weddings or funerals. They also place it on altars as an offering to their ancestors on worshipping occasions. Whenever the locals feel thirsty, they are likely to look for this drink, in both summer and winter. A cup of iced tea in a hot day in summer not only refreshes your mind but also detoxicate your body. On the contrary, in winter, a sip of hot tea makes you feel warm inside and better able to cope with the outside cold temperatures.
Yet, tea drinking is not a recent trend in Viet Nam but attached to an ancient history as follows;

Tea drinking - from history to daily life...

Viet Nam is one of the largest and oldest tea-producing countries in the world. The Vietnamese have been growing tea for over 2,000 years. As early as in the 11th century, tea was used as a symbol to convey the essence of Buddhism. During the period of the Tran Dynasty from the 13th to early 15th century, tea assumed a philosophical value for the Vietnamese. In the 15th century, the Vietnamese polymath Nguyen Trai (1380-1442) lived as a hermit, renouncing the outside world for a life of "tea, poetry and the moon".
While tea has a special philosophical value for scholars and a long tradition in Vietnamese history, it has its own place today in the life of ordinary people living both in the cities and in the countryside. In the past, peasants could not afford expensive tea, so they grew tea on their own. Nowadays, tea is used to bind people together, for example, the peasant often invites his neighbor around for a chat over a cup of tea. They drink tea initially to thank the host for his hospitality, then throughout several tea sips, they open  heart more, to share their feelings, to speak about the family, the company and finally to feel the nature savor of the cup of tea.

Besides a normal thirst-quenching beverage, tea is also considered a delicate and meaningful one. In the past, it used to be the leverage for poets’ inspiration. Up to now, the habit of leisure tea-drinking has helped refresh and polish the drinkers’ minds. Moreover, a person's character can be assessed by his or her tea drinking ways. Vietnamese people consider those who drink concentrated tea to be finely-mannered; and those who can pour tea into bowls arranged in a circle using a coconut scoop without spilling a drop will certainly enjoy the admiration of their tea-drinking peers.

Kinds of tea

Viet Nam has grown many and various types of tea such as che Tuyet, che Moc cau, che man, che chi … Each one is combined with a particular kind of flower: che man with chrysanthemum; che bup with hoa soi flowers; high quality che man and che bup with lotus, narcissus or jasmine. Some connoisseurs go so far as to row out to the middle of a pond to place small amounts of tea inside lotus buds in order to perfume it. An example is cum tea, grown by the Tay ethnic minority. Cum tea plants are allowed to grow until the buds are mature, then they are picked, and roasted in a pan until they are dry and the buds begin to curl up. The tea is then wrapped up in palm leaves to keep it fragrant.

The Vietnamese like to mix tea with flowers to make it more aromatic. Tea with lotus is very precious for Vietnamese people. This kind of tea was formerly reserved to the Kings. According to the predecessors, when the lotus blossoms in the afternoon, they put a sachet of tea in the pistil and then, they tighten it with the sheets of lotus. In the next morning, they take dew remained on the sheets and in mixture with the sachet of tea in the pistil. After having poured into the cup, the soft and fresh odor of lotus dominates the whole room.
The tea culture has sticked to the life and the heart of Vietnamese people for generations. And when they drink tea at a small mouthful, the tea savor makes them more off-hand and closer to one another. This has formed the culture of the vicinity and the affection between neighbors.

Sugar-cane juice - Great for summer

Sugar-cane juice  is a type of drink commonly found in Vietnam as a refreshing drink during the hot Vietnamese climate.

In the hot weather like Vietnam, people know sugar-cane juice as a natural beverage that is delicious and cheap. Therefore, sugar-cane juice is so popular in Vietnam and is available at most small street stalls, often sold alongside other popular beverages. The juice is served from distinctive metal carts with a crank-powered sugar cane stalk crushers that release the juice.

There used to be a vendor that would make freshly squeezed sugar-cane juice. Previously, sugar-cane juice was sold in small plastic bags filled with ice and tied at the open end with an elastic band around a straw. Buyers could then suck the drink out through the straw. There has been movement to selling sugar cane-juice in white foam cups and it’s got a slight lime taste to it as commonly seen in Vietnam today.

Moreover, at the present, there is a system of 20 high quality sugar-cane juice stores named Fruit Shake has  been occurred in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. After March 2007, There appears a lot of super-clear sugar-cane juice stores  with price from 7000VND-8000VND (less 0.5 USD). Sugar-cane juice in Fruit Shake with many flavors becomes a high-class beverage in Vietnam.

Now, you can feel free to enjoy a glass of sugar-cane juice (considered the second best drink in the world after the orange juice) and you do not have to worry whether it meet the standard of food safety or not.

Cheapest bia in the World - Bia hoi Vietnam

 Vietnam probably wouldn’t come near the top of your list when thinking of great beer cultures, but this country actually has some of the cheapest beer in the world. No, you can’t get a local hop-heavy microbrew or an ink-black stout, but if you care more about what kind of quantity your travel dollar will get you, it’s hard to go wrong here. Plop yourself down at a bia hoi (fresh beer) stand and you’ll be ordering by the pitcher for next to nothing.

I was reminded of how much I loved this practice when I saw this Wall Street Journal article last week about how the local beer brewers were still doing better business than the foreign brands by beating the giants at the keg beer game. Consumption at these draft beer outlets—usually outdoor cafes that may be just folding chairs and tables on a sidewalk—makes up 30% of the local beer market.

That article linked above left out one key data point though: the price. A big mug will cost you about 20-25 cents U.S. and a 2-liter pitcher will often be a dollar or less. Sometimes far less. A few pitchers and some tasty street food will set you up right for the night.

You often have to start early though. When the kegs run out, as they often do just as night is falling, it’s time to close up shop. Then you’ll have to up the ante and buy bottled beer somewhere else. That’s cheap too, but you might have to pay a dollar or more for a big bottle in a bar instead of a dollar for a pitcher.

Hanoi is known as the home of bia hoi, but you can get it almost anywhere in the country if you keep your eyes peeled. I’ve personally downed pitchers in Nha Trang and Saigon as well. Cheers!

Cao Lau & Crispy Pancakes in Central Vietnam

I wound up in the central Vietnamese town of Hoi An last week. The town is a major draw on the heavily pounded, unimaginative tourist trail along the length of Vietnam's coast. For such a popular tourist hang, it's surprising to find a town bereft of gourmet grub. There are virtually no quality restaurants in town. Everybody serves the same tired menu and caters to the lowest, cheapest tourists that come to Vietnam. Like the shoddy, tenth rate tailoring the town has become infamous for, the food here is decidedly lacklustre.

There are two exceptions. The first is the dish above - Cao Lau. It's the best of the three local specialities that plague every restaurant billboard in town. The others being White Rose and Won Ton dumplings. This rendition of Cao Lau is from Fukien at 28 Tran Phu Street. It costs 6,000VD. It's a noodle, herb, beansprout and pork sliver dish. Hoi Anans (is there such a word?) will tell you the dish cannot be replicated outside of town because the water used in the dish must be drawn from a well in the nearby Ba Le well which is down an alley opposite 35 Phan Chau Trinh Street. The pork is fried in a marinade and then roasted for 1 hour. Chuck in some fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, salt & pepper, thin crispy croutons add the noodles and herbs and you're done. Mix it up and dig in. It's simple, spice tinged and yummtastic.

Each chef adds his or her own amounts of each ingredient - that's the only discernible difference from one restaurant to another. Someone somewhere in this town with a bit of brains could easily make a bundle by opening up a high end, classy restaurant serving quality food, but it hasn't happened yet. My feeling is the restauranteurs here have gotten lazy. New blood and new ideas are what is needed.

The second food highlight (no photos for this joint, so just trust me) is Kimijan cafe at 30 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street run by Ms. Kim Lien, a French Viet Kieu who is one of the few folk in town who seems to know her grub. Very, very few people nip in here. I think it's the mosquito netting on the windows that puts people off as it doesn't allow them a look inside. But, it's definitely the best cafe/restaurant in town. Not on the menu, but she'll serve it if you ask, is an excellent Banh xeo. This version of the southern crispy pancake standard comes with a hefty herb side plate in which you will find six different leaves including a watercress type chap called cai con. It is found nowhere else in Vietnam. She also serves some stomach teasing French desserts. The Tarte tatin & Tart au citron meringue were both effortlessly eatable and had pieman loosening his belt buckle in appreciation. I didn't sample the three different scrummy crepes on offer, but I hear from reliable stomachs they are also quite exquisite.

Source : http://www.noodlepie.com

Hue beef noodle – the typical culinary art of Hue!

In Hue city, the former citadel of Vietnam, it doesn't take you a lot of money to dine like a King!

Hue beef noodle takes its origin from the Royal Hue City of Central Vietnam. The broth is from cooking beef bones for a long period of time as well as a variety of different spices including lemongrass.

How does it taste? Well, having a bowl of Hue beef noodle, you will easily recognize that it is completely different from Pho since the former’s beef broth is much more spicy.

How to make it? Learning how to make a clear broth from bone and meat is quite a difficult task. After being selected from the market, the fresh beef will be shredded, boiled and taken out of the water to obtain a delicious clear broth. A typical version of Hue beef noodle must include pork, roast beef, pig’s blood, Vietnamese salami, Hue’s style salami, shrimp sauce and chopped lettuce.

The interesting thing is that, the amount of salt put in the beef noodle recipe varies between seasons. For example, during summer, Hue beef noodle soup is served with soy bean, mint and different kinds of lettuce while in the winter, the recipe is saltier added with lemongrass and fish.

The best Hue beef noodle comes from the street vendors who work from dawn to early morning. In Hue, when night lights are on, you can enjoy a good bowl of this noodle soup at restaurants in front of No. 84 Mai Thuc Loan Street. This hot dish represents just a few of the treasures of Hue's traditional cuisine. Clam-rice and the flour pies like beo (streamed flour cupcakes), nam (wrapped shrimp pies) and loc (tapioca and shrimp pies), for examples, are part of the ancient capital's culinary heritage.

Where to have Hue’s beef noodle in Ha Noi?

You are in Hanoi, and wondering if such a Hue’s specialty appears in Hanoi or not. Don’t worry, Hue beef noodle come up quite often in many streets of Hanoi from morning till night. It’s better to ask your hotel to recommend a place nearby or you can refer to the following reliable addresses:

• No. 4 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hanoi

• No.467 Đoi Can Street, Hanoi

• No.7 Thai Phien Street, Hanoi

• No.22 Phan Boi Chau Street, Hanoi

• No.175 Lang Ha Street, Hanoi

• No.G23 Huynh Thuc Khang Street, Hanoi

“Banh khuc”, so delicious!

Banh khuc is a traditional cake of Vietnam and so delicious!

The cake is a rice ball made of glutinous rice mixed with cudweed (khuc)-most important ingredient and filled with green bean paste, pork, and spices.
Cudweed grows during lunar January and February, when the drizzling rain lasts all day, and it can be found along the edges of rice fields. There are two kinds: “nep” and “te”. The latter is more flexible and fragrant and is preferred for making the cake.
First, the cudweed is washed, ground and then mixed with husked glutinous rice. Green beans, that are flayed and turned into paste after being cooked, are then added to the mixture. Finally, the cakes are sprinkled with grains of glutinous steamed rice.
As time goes by it is increasingly difficult to find cudweed as fields are eaten up by development. For now, you still can find “banh khuc” in Hanoi. However, some bakers may not be using cudweed and may substitute it with cabbage or water morning glory.
Wishing to have the chance to satisfy your hunger for “banh khuc”, you can visit cake stall at 69 Nguyen Cong Tru Street, that has been churning out “banh khuc” for years. Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, the seller, has to hire locals in rural areas in Hanoi or in neighbouring provinces to seek out the elusive cudweed. In winter, it grows in abundance so enough has to be collected to last the summer. The surplus will be dried and stored.
If you are in the old quarter of Hanoi, you might hear someone cry “Ai banh khuc nong day?” (who wants hot “banh khuc”?). You can stop them and ask if the “banh khuc” is from Ngoai Hoang village in Ha Noi, a place that is famous for having the most delicious and tasty “banh khuc”. Then, you can buy one for tasting. The cake should be served hot and dipped into a mixture of roasted and crushed sesame seeds and salt...