1A few words about Banh Nam Hue
In addition to specialties such as banh beo, banh hoi, beef noodle soup… Hue also has a very famous banh nam dish. Nam cake is one of the most delicious snacks in the ancient capital, attracting many domestic and foreign tourists to enjoy.
Nam cake originated in Nam Pho village, Phu Thuong commune, about 3km from Hue city center. The women at that time used rice flour, crushed shrimp, and shrimp to make banh nam. After that, this cake became more and more popular in Nam Pho village. People make cakes and bring them to trade from all streets to the capital city of Hue. Banh nam has since become a favorite dish of all classes and all ages in the ancient capital. People here also use banh nam on occasions of worship and death anniversaries.
Nam cake looks quite similar to tapioca cake because both are wrapped in banana leaves, but they also have differences. If the tapioca cake has a transparent color where the filling can be seen, the Nam cake has the characteristic white color of rice with a very attractive layer of filling spread evenly on top of the cake.
Banh Nam Hue is also a type of cake wrapped in banana leaves and has a characteristic white color
The Hue Nam cake is only about 1cm thick and is made from rice flour, shrimp, meat and indispensable banana leaves wrapped on the outside. The “soul” of this cake is the delicious and pure rice flour. After dissolving rice flour with water, people add MSG, salt, cooking oil and cook over low heat.
One of the most important steps that is considered the secret to creating delicious cake dough is the dough stirring technique. When boiling, you must always stir so that the flour does not stick to the pot, form lumps or burn. When the dough thickens, turn off the stove and continue stirring until it cools. Qualified powder must have a moderate consistency, neither runny nor hard.
The filling includes shrimp and pork. Clean and peel shrimp; Pork should choose good pork belly, chop it into small pieces and puree it. Then stir-fry the pork and shrimp, add a little fish sauce, chopped green onions, and pepper to add flavor and aroma.
The filling is meticulously prepared with the special delicious flavor of Hue
Next is the process of wrapping the cake. Banana leaves are cleaned, cut into medium pieces and then arranged in a way that has one leaf lying vertically on the bottom and one leaf horizontally on top. Next, people brush cooking oil on the leaf surface and then spread a thin layer of dough in a rectangular shape about 1cm thick in the middle. The shrimp and meat filling and some green onions will be spread vertically on the cake surface. Finally, fold the two edges of the leaf, break the two ends and then use your hands to smooth it evenly to form a very square rectangle.
The cakes are wrapped squarely, not too thick, flavorful and not greasy
After being wrapped, the cake will be steamed in a steamer for about 20 minutes. This time is just enough for the cake to soften. If steamed too long, the green color of the leaves will not be retained and the cake will be crumbly.
And finally, whether banh nam is delicious or not depends a lot on the dipping sauce. People add a little sugar to the fish sauce and then put it on the stove to boil until the sugar dissolves, then add a little filtered water. Wait for this mixture to cool, then add a little lemon juice, minced garlic and a little chili for a moderately sweet taste.
Banh nam is best when eaten with the right dipping sauce
See more: When returning to the ancient capital, remember to visit Hanh pleasure cake shop to enjoy the flavors of Hue that make tourists fall in love
2Suggest some places to enjoy delicious Hue Nam Cake in the Ancient Capital
In Hue, people consider banh loc as an indispensable dish in daily life. That’s why diners can easily encounter tapioca cake in many places, from luxury restaurants to small sidewalk eateries and street vendors. The price of a plate of 10 pieces of tapioca cake costs about 15,000 – 25,000 VND/plate.
– Address: No. 08 Nguyen Binh Khiem, Phu Hiep, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue.
– Business hours: 08h00 – 21h30
Ba Do Restaurant has been a famous cake shop in the Hue community for a long time, one of the most famous restaurants. With a spacious design and a large, comfortable parking area, it makes it more convenient for tourists to travel by car with many people, and can park for a long time without worrying about traffic jams.
– Address: No. 109 Le Huan, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue.
– Business hours: 06h00 – 21h00
This is a cake shop that is known for its cheap prices but is very delicious and has a very special flavor. Most customers line up to buy food because the seats are overloaded. Restaurant 109 is undoubtedly one of the delicious Hue cake restaurants in Hue.
– Address: No. 104/17/9 Kim Long, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue.
– Business hours: 06h00 – 10h00
Although it is a restaurant located in an alley, its popularity is not inferior to other storefront bakeries. With its rustic style, airy yard, and friendly owner, visitors have loved this place. Me Le restaurant is one of the delicious Hue cake restaurants in Hue that Western customers love. The banh loc is soft, the giant shrimp is bigger than the cake. No one has come to criticize, the flavors of the other cakes are also unique, the shrimp paste is fragrant, salty, salty, sweet and hard to resist. The restaurant space has a garden style, diners also enjoy Hue cakes that are as simple and rustic as the taste of the food here.
– Address: No. 16 To Hien Thanh, Phu Cat, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue
– Business hours: 06h30 – 19h30
The big plus points that can be said when mentioning Trung Bo restaurant are delicious cakes, clean restaurant, cute, cheerful and enthusiastic shop owner. Also in the style of selling in pretty little bowls even though each one is tiny, and comes with a dried shrimp paste mixed with a piece of fatty shrimp eaten with fish sauce mixed very deliciously and to the right taste. Eating the cake while it’s still hot because the shop owner has just steamed it makes it many times more delicious. The moist shrimp and meat filling is extremely delicious, rich in Hue flavor.
– Address: No. 23/177 Phan Dinh Phung Street, Phu Nhuan, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue
– Business hours: 07h00 – 21h00
Although the restaurant is located in an alley, it is very clean and airy, although a bit difficult to find. But because of the delicious flavor brought by Ba Cu restaurant, the restaurant is still crowded with visitors every day. The waitresses are older but very agile, enthusiastic and cute. Tourists come here constantly and there are very few Vietnamese customers, so the restaurant is considered one of the delicious Hue cake restaurants in Hue on foreign tourism sites.
See more: When you come to Hue, you must immediately visit Mrs. Ty’s grilled meat noodle restaurant, delicious enough to forget the way home
Banh Nam Hue is one of the most delicious dishes in Hue. Enjoying Nam cake is like enjoying the quintessential taste of Hue culinary land. The flavor of Hue Nam cake is harmonious from the taste to the scent of banana leaves and dong leaves. The cake is elegant, soft and fragrant with shrimp flavor. A piece of cake melts in your mouth. If you love traditional Central cakes, don’t miss this delicious Hue Nam cake.
