CẦN GIUỘC RICE KERNEL CILANTRO CAKES

In the early 20th century, Huynh Luu’s family followed some poor people from Guangdong (China) to the southern land of Vietnam. To Soai Rap, Huynh decided to settle in Truong Binh, Can Giuoc town, Can Giuoc district (Long An). On this new land, Huynh Luu immediately thought of making cilantro rice cassava – a family tradition that he brought along. In 1970, Huynh Luu died, and his children continued to preserve this tradition. His eighth son Huynh Hy, among the others, has succeeded his father as the bakery owner, fulfilling his wish to keep this pastry secret or more than 40 years. The secret of making delicious cốm lies in the sweet and medium greasy taste of the dish. Main ingredients include flour, tapioca starch (for the crust), duck eggs, sugar, malt, glutinous rice, fried white sesame seeds and refined oil. The dish is named after its decoration when a few coriander leaves are put on the dish surface. The coriander color stands out on the dark yellow grains, enhancing both the dish look and taste.

Enjoying the dish with a cup of iced coffee, one can drop some into the coffee and quickly take it out to eat. The sweet and greasy green kernels will be instantly frozen and mixed with the coffee bitterness, reminding one of an old saying: “Reaching out to pick some coriander, I love you so much yet bitterly pretending to be strangers!”.

Collected by Linh Trang