Tasty like Dai An Khe casting cake. Photo: Tue Linh
But it would be flawed if we did not mention another rustic delicacy made from the ingredients of the homeland, which is duck meat cake.
According to the village elders, the duck meat cake, also known as porridge, has a long time ago. All women and mothers in the village know how to cook cakes. The girls in the village who have grown up are given this traditional recipe by her mother. This cake is a combination of ingredients available in the home garden, in the home country such as the sweetness of delicious rice, the fatty and fragrant flavor of duck meat and the pulp of peanuts grown in the river, Spicy and absorbent flavor ... Duck meat cake is an indispensable dish in the anniversary of death, ceremony, Tet or wedding of the villagers. This is a delicious dish that is not tired of eating, suitable for all ages, but the best thing is that the pot of cake is cooked at leisure time, when the whole family is gathered by the fire, waiting for the batch of cake to pour out white fat, prominent on the green banana leaf lined in bamboo sieve.
Different from the popular molded cake that every countryside has, the duck meat cake in Dai An Khe village has a sophisticated cooking technique and cooking technique. To cook the standard cake pot, first of all, hard rice such as IR 38 or Khang Dan rice soaked soaked to drain. Also need boneless duck meat, minced and marinated with shallots and spices; duck bones cooked for broth; Crushed peanuts and cooking oil, but still the best is the fried lard to make the cake fat.
First, put the lard in the pot, scent the onion and then add the rice to the stirring so that the fat penetrates deep into each grain of rice until the rice is hardened. When the rice turns light yellow, pour the broth cooked from duck bone in the ratio of 1 can of rice to 4 cans of stock. Cooking cakes in the correct Dai An Khe style is very meticulous and time consuming. This step needs to keep the fire very small continuously, but being soaked with coal just enough to cook the rice is the most important secret to having a delicious cast. If the fire is not kept well, the rice cooker does not boil evenly, the cake is not pure. Old fire, the cake will smell bad. When the rice is boiling, continue to sprinkle crushed peanuts on the rice surface and keep the heat to let the rice and peanuts cook slowly.
According to baking experience, in this process, if you want to let the rice cook and let the batch of cake freeze, smooth, the cook absolutely must not use chopsticks or stir in the pot to avoid making the outer layer of rice flour. while inside the seeds are not yet pureed. The cook weighs the time and by experience, waits for the pot to boil, rice and peanuts are cooked, then add the duck meat and mix well. Tasting spices again to taste. At that time, the process of using a large chopstick to stir the mixture of the casting pot on the stove in a circle until the puree mix blends together, drain the water and sprinkle itself out of the top of the chopsticks.
The last step is to shape the cake is also quite sophisticated. Normally, the cake after cooking is poured into a bamboo sieve lined with fresh banana leaves, spread thinly, sprinkled with spices, fresh chili and pepper. Use banana leaves to place on top of the cake, gently squeeze the cake to make it tight and firm, then let the cake cool in a ventilated place. When eating, just use a bamboo knife to cut each slice of diamond or square shape to display a plate. The standard cake is a piece of cake that is sharp, thick and soft.
Today, when serving diners, to make this rustic cake look more beautiful and convenient, the sisters have used sticky rice molds with a diameter of about 20 cm to present a tray. The pieces of duck meat molded in the shape of flowers, hearts, longevity, and happy words ... are very delicious and beautiful. The best duck cake is eaten right in the day.
To make the plate tastier and richer, the broth is poured into the cake. It is a mixture of spices boiled between non-aromatic garlic onion combined with sesame seeds and roasted peanuts, mixed with fish sauce, sugar, and broth to fit your mouth. You can add minced pork liver to increase the consistency and deliciousness of the broth.
This rustic but heartwarming dish has gone beyond the countryside, becoming a famous delicacy, present in the local culinary fairs, as a morning gift or an afternoon dish with a rich taste of the countryside for many. townspeople. Duck meat cake is strong enough to hold back the children from far away with its indelible taste, reminding of the richness of motherly and honest home cuisine.
