SOUTHERN SPONGE CAKE

Originated from the North, this pastry is dated as far back as the saying: “Hiding sponge cake in both hands, she, not telling her parents, gave them to him on his examination day”. It is a simple pastoral pastry yet colorful and tasty with various flavors of pork, shrimps, fresh cassava roots, creamy coconut milk, and spicy serving sauce. What an interesting combination! Crust ingredients include rice flour mixed with a small proportion of wheat flour and coconut milk. For stuffing, there are fried shrimps, well-chopped pork, cassava roots, carrots, square-sliced wood ear mushrooms. These ingredients are stir fried. Next, the flour mixture is sifted for better texture; it isthen covered and left to rest in 30 minutes. Then, the mixture is stirred and cooked on the stove. When the flour mixture has been cooked, it is poured into a quarter of the molds and steamed. As soon as the crust is half cooked, fill the mold with a new layer of cooked flour mixture. Keep doing this till the last layer then put the stuffing on top of it and wait until it is well cooked. Wait for the pastry to cool down then slice it into diamonds. Put them on a plate and serve with sweet sour fish sauce, coconut milk, sliced chili, bean sprouts and cucumber to enhance flavor.

Collected by Linh Trang