SOUTHERN CYLINDRICAL GLUTINOUS RICE CAKE
“Which cake is green outside but white inside, with beans outside and pork inside?” In sunny Southern region, cylindrical glutinous rice cake are the embodiment of springtime, which anyone who lives away from home will always reminisces about. There are childhood memories in the peaceful village with a steaming pot of cylindrical glutinous rice cake besides flickering fire. Today, with too little time and living space confined in a busy city, the tradition of making cylindrical glutinous rice cake is no longer popular. Cylindrical glutinous rice cakes are made from sticky rice, green beans, pork, bananas … wrapped in banana leaves or marantacea leaves and cooked for 5 hours through the night depending on their sizes. They can be found all over the country with different names, looks and wrapping styles such as Chung cake (in the North), Tày cake (from mountainous ethnic people), Cylinder cake (in the Southern region due to its cylindrical shape), Tết cake (for they are made for Tet festival), or Tearing cake (due to the way a roll is peeled off by a bamboo or nylon string). The stuffing is also various according to tastes. Traditionally it is green beans and pork; for Chinese style, salted eggs are added; a simpler version includes banana and black beans.
Can Tho cylindrical glutinous rice cake cooked with magenta leaves: These cylindrical glutinous rice cakes have been well-known for over the past 30 years, and now branded to sell in other provinces. They are made from the best sticky rice which is not mixed with a single seed of rice. The magenta leaves are washed and boiled to produce a beautiful purple color. It is then mixed with sticky rice and coconut milk. The stuffing varies from bananas, green beans, pork to salted eggs and dried shrimps … On New Year’s Day, words like Happiness, Prosperity, and Longevity are printed on the cake to meet customers’ demand and enhancing the dish value. Cakes are cut into small rings to serve. The purple color of the sticky rice looks very nice blended with the yellow color of green beans and white greasy pork. Holding a ring and enjoying it while peeling the leaves along is also an interesting way to eat it. In a more sophisticated way, it is served with dried shrimp, pickled leek roots, and various pickles…
Phu Quoc cylindrical glutinous rice cake cooked with rhapis leaves: Molasses trees or Malaysian rattan, a member of palm trees family, filters the air of ammonia and formaldehyde, refreshing the air. In Phu Quoc, molasses trees are seen everywhere. During the war against France, to provide food for the soldiers hiding deep in the forest, local people created a rather unique cake based on the traditional cooking method of cylindrical glutinous rice cake. It was thanks to these eating cakes, one would feel full for longer, the cakes themselves could last longer, and there was no need for heating food over a fire. Cakes are wrapped in a triangular form, very different from the traditional round long shape. The molasses leaves are small; therefore, triangle shape wrapping was more suitable, and the cares are fully wrapped. The main purpose was to hide these cakes into ravines and streams easily. When nights fall, the soldiers would come out and take them upback into the forest to eat. The ingredients back then were mainly sticky rice, green beans or bananas; greasy pork was rarely made. Sometimes, due to stringent living standard, there was only sticky rice. In addition, molasses cylindrical glutinous rice cakes distinguish themselves from other rice cakes for the absence of coconut milk. Today, the cooking and wrapping method remains the same, only with more sophisticated stuffing. First, the molasses leaves are cut, clean, and dried. They are not as big as banana leaves; neither are they tied by leaf veins which are not as flexible and strong as bamboo strings. As a result, only those with tactful hands can master the wrapping technique. The best sticky rice is used, mixed with the juice of sauropus leaves and pandan leaves to create a beautiful celadon color. The stuffing can be bananas, green beans or greasy pork. These cakes are not only eye-catching but also tasty. The dish unique traits lie in its name, the absence of coconut milk, the wrapping leaves and method. A whole story is rolled up within the dish.
Tra Cuon cylindrical glutinous rice cake cooked with katuk leaves: This name is originated from a region in Cambodia; “Who can define the meaning of Trà cuôn, Trà kha, Trà cú, and Trà rom?” Every time visiting her hometown in Tra Vinh, the little sister always brings home two cylindrical glutinous rice cakes, one of banana stuffing, and one of pork stuffing. She said that in order to make delicious cylindrical glutinous rice cakes, the best local sticky rice must be cooked with katuk leaves to get an eye-catching green color. This will manifest the cake look as well as a natural attractive aroma. The wrapping leaves are banana leaves of medium size and intact state. Green bean grains must be big and evenly round. Cakes are firmly tied, not too loosely as to prevent water from leaking in during steaming time; only enough space is left for the sticky rice to expand. Cakes are tied in pairs and put in a steamer for 7 – 8 hours. Pour in water and cook over big fire. To peel a cake, a bamboo string is hold and turned around the roll. As the string moves, the wrapping is peeled off, which seemingly explains the name of the dish. Each ring has the green sticky rice, the yellow and white green beans and greasy pork. They accompany each other well and look beautiful together. A bite into that ring would explode in one’s mouth with richness, flavor and passion.
Collected by Linh Trang
