DAI TAM MOLD CAKE

The name comes from cake molds which are made from inox or aluminum. These molds were used to make ice in the fridge, called ice molds. The dish is made from rice flour mixed with soya beans and green beans, stuffed with a mixture of stirred chopped pork and purple onions (a common agricultural product in Vinh Chau town, Soc Trang province), and a silver shrimp is put on top. Finally, itis dipped fried. This dish is believed to be originated from Khmer people in Soc Trang. Today, it is found not only in Soc Trang but also in other provinces in the Southern region. Other two key elements to the taste are vegetables and sauce. There are wild grown vegetables such as creek premna and cynometra etc. and home grown like lettuce, salad, basils, mint leaves. Sauce is sour sweet fish sauce made from the best anchovy. Some pickled white radish and carrots are sliced up to add in the sauce. Mold cakes are torn by hands and rolled with vegetables to eat; chopsticks are rarely used for this dish.

Collected by Linh Trang