I mentioned this in a briefer format today.
In my workplace, I have a certain proficiency for sniffing out anything that's palatable, like those pigs in France that dig out truffles. If food walks in the door, I'll be sticking my snout out for a whiff.
Today, one of my new scholarship candidates tried smuggling in a package. It was a poor attempt. I saw the plastic bag swinging in her hand, the contents wrapped in paper and knew it immediately to be food. It was after the rice hour, so I reckoned she would be offering me something sweet within the quarter hour.
"What's that?" I said, brazen and direct. She searched for the right word.
"Cake," she replied in a not too specific way. Could be awful, could be a revelation, I was thinking. The Vietnamese word for cake refers to all manner of foodstuff in Vietnam. It could be a banana fritter (banh chuoi ran). Or tiny sweet cubes of green bean and sugar (banh dau xang). A steamed meat pie (banh gio), a steamed bun with mystery mix or quail egg (banh bao), even a plain bread roll (banh my) ...the list goes on.
"Oh," I muttered, not so sure I was any longer interested. I would have to miraculuosly appear again once it had been unwrapped. "Careful not to drop it on the carpet, " I continued, before heading off to some subject verb disagreement in another student's writing.
Ten minutes later I was back, peering through the glass of the door, like a rat with a gold tooth.
And I liked what I saw. Unwrapped on a chair, the 'cake' sat. Actually, a stack of cakes. The girls insisted I take two. I tried to act embarrassed but I knew this would happen and I knew they would answer all my questions. The generosity of students to teachers in this country continues to astound me.
From the province of Ha Tinh, one of the poorest in the country, this cake originates. Cane sugar and ginger are boiled to form a rich brown toffee. Peanuts are added and the mixture is spooned onto and then sandwiched between two rice crackers.The name is banh cu do and it is crisp, crunchy, sticky and sweet, all good attributes in a cake, whatever its name.
I departed. But not before saying thankyou. Genuinely.
Keep your teeth healthy :) I love sticky nutty sweets too, but now feel a bit scary to chew because of many fillings in my teeth. Phew.
Posted by: the lacquer spoon | 07 June 2010 at 11:19 PM
Exactly, LSpoon. It's really just like a slightly viscous peanut brittle. Just finished it off tonight actually.
Posted by: Sticky | 09 June 2010 at 11:28 PM
Did you know that it's also called keo cu do (candy instead of "cake")?
Posted by: flavor boulevard | 11 June 2010 at 02:27 AM
That doesn't surprise me FB. It's kind of a candy-cake crossover, isn't it?
Posted by: Sticky | 11 June 2010 at 03:46 PM
OMG!!!! when I was young, there'd be snack vendors walking around in the neighborhood with these in their hanging baskets. I liked to have a few spinkles of coconut flakes in them as well. Such a chewy, gooey, sticky and messy goodness!!!!!!
Posted by: Tram | 16 June 2010 at 12:56 AM
Looks like an even more caramelly pan forte. Awesome.
And love the commentary: "peering through the glass of the door, like a rat with a gold tooth" hehehe. I know the feeling well.
Posted by: Chef Shane | 28 June 2010 at 02:14 AM
Tram and chefshane: need to get my "suppliers" on the road to the centre again!
Posted by: Sticky | 28 June 2010 at 10:54 PM
good job! ^^
but "tiny sweet cubes of green bean and sugar" = "Banh dau xanh", not "xang", Mark ^^
Posted by: Van | 12 July 2010 at 12:27 PM
this was a great snack when we were kids. My mom made that for us all the time. really miss them.
Posted by: vietfoodrecipes | 05 March 2011 at 10:56 AM