Banh Khuc is a special Hanoi traditional food. It not just contents high nutrients but show the elegant style of Hanoi cuisine, as well. Therefore, Vietnam food tours recommend that tourists should enjoy it when having a chance to discover the Vietnam cuisine.
What is Banh Khuc?
Banh Khuc is a glutinous rice ball that made of sticky rice mixed with khuc leaves (everlasting gnaphalium leaves), and filled with mung bean paste, pig fat, pepper and sprinkled with grains of cooked glutinous rice.
Khuc leaves
The main ingredient to make this cake unique is Khuc leaves.The scientific name of Rau Khuc plant is Gnaphalium affine D. Don (Everlasting Gnaphalium). Khuc leaves can be found along the banks of the Red River or along the edges of rice fields. It has a fruity smell similar to mugwort.There are two kinds of everlasting gnaphalium leaves: Nep leaves and te leaves. The Hanoians prefer using the latter kind of Khuc leaves more than another for making Banh Khuc because it’s flexible and fragrant.
How to make Banh Khuc?
Banh khuc is usually made during the 2nd and 3rd months of the lunar calender when the drizzling rain lasts all day. That is the time that khuc leaves are in season. First, the cudweed is washed, ground and then mixed with husked glutinous rice. Mung beans are flayed and turned into a paste after being cooked. The mixture of Khuc paste is wrapped around the mung bean paste with a pork meat piece which is seasoned carefully with salt and pepper. After that, the cakes are sprinkled with grains of glutinous rice that have soaked enough time. Finally, the Khuc rice balls are steamed about 45 minutes. Because not every season has Khuc leaves, some bakers may substitute it with cabbage or water morning glory but the delicious taste still remains. The cake is normally served with a mixture of roasted and crushed sesame seeds and salt. Especially, the tourist of Hanoi street food tour should enjoy the cake when it is hot to appreciate the full flavor of the cake. Hot to eat, the taste of the fragrant smell of the leaves and fat meat spread around the tongue to it.
Where can you find it?
At Hoang Mai village, Hanoi is famous for having the most delicious and tasty Banh khuc. This cake is one of the most popular and remarkable specialties of the village. Many villagers rely on the sale of Banh Khuc to bring home the bacon. In the old quarter of Hanoi, visitor of Hanoi food tours can find savory Banh khuc on the stall of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Co Lan at 69 Nguyen Cong Tru Street that has been sold banh khuc for many years. The special delicate combination of rice, vegetables and pork here makes anyone who enjoys it for the first time cannot forget its taste. Or just simply join night food tour Hanoi now, let’s our enthusiastic and professional tour guides help you have an interesting food tour experience.
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