The name Cay originates from the cakes' appearance because they resemble the eggs of the Cay, a small crab found in rivers and rice paddies. The cakes are traditionally served with tea, 68-year-old local woman Nguyen Thi Ut said.

She told a story about the cake's birthplace, Nguyen Village. During the 1700s Nguyen Thi Tan, the daughter of a Nguyen Dynasty mandarin, was selected by King Le Hien Tong to nurse his son Le Duy Vy, who was later crowned prince.

Cay is more enjoyable when eaten with a cup of tea.

When the prince grew up, he was arrested by a Trinh Lord for trying to consolidate the Le Dynasty’s power. Only Tan was allowed to meet Vy, who said he could not eat the food he was given in prison.

Years later Tan retired to her village and handed down the job to her neighbours. When the prince was released and crowned King, he asked Tan’s villagers to offer him the cake every year.

And they are still making the cakes today, Ut said.

To make a tasty and delicious Cay cake involves a very complicated process and many stages. 

“First we have to choose a type of glutinous rice named nep quyt because it has a specific fragrance and is softer than others. We order it from Hai Phong’s Vinh Bao District where water is salinized to give the rice a rich aroma,” said Ut.

Other ingredients for the cake include Gac (a fruit found in Southeast Asia) or gardenia fruit, peanuts, ginger, carrots and mandarin peel, said Ut.

The glutinous rice is divided into three parts, two for steaming with gac to create the scarlet colour and gardenia for a bright yellow hue.

The glutinous rice is then ground in a stone mortar using a pestle until it becomes a dough. This is rolled out and cut into pieces (5cm by 1cm) and dried before frying it until crispy.

Other ingredients such as roasted peanuts, sesame, glutinous rice, pork fat cut into pieces and mixed with sugar for half a month, carrot, ginger juice and mandarin peel are mixed together before frying.

Ut said all the ingredients are then mixed with sugar cane and cooked until fragrant before they're put in moulds coated with roasted sesame seeds and compressed until hard.

Nguyen Trong Quy, who has been praised for preserving the tradition of making Banh Cay, said only a dozen households in Nguyen Village were still making the cakes.

Banh cay cake is must-try in Thai Binh.

To Thanh Binh from Bac Ninh Province said he was an addict. “I often order the cakes from Thai Binh to offer to our ancestors during the Tet holiday or for weddings,” Binh said, adding that several households in his province made the cake but it just wasn't the same as Thai Binh’s.

Trương Thị Dung from Australia told that she sometimes craves the cakes and whenever she has a chance to return to the country she often travels to Thai Bình to buy them.

Herbalist Hoang Van Dan from the Thai Binh Traditional Medicinal Centre warned however that Banh Cay is although rich in protein and calories so people suffering from diabetes or obesity should avoid them.

“I still enjoy a cake with a cup of strong tea every day with my friends. It's my guilty pleasure,” Dan said.

Bean porridge with tofu, pickled eggplants: A simple common dish in Hanoi

Bean porridge is a simple common dish in Hanoi, especially for the generation born between the 1980s and 1990s.

‘Cha tom’ (grilled shrimp rolls): A delicious dish of Thanh Hoa Province

Anyone who eats Cha tom nuong (grilled shrimp rolls), a delicious dish of Thanh Hoa Province, will never forget its distinctive flavour.

Australian TV network recommends five must-try Vietnamese dishes

With Vietnamese cuisine spread far and wide, Australian TV network SBS this week urged viewers to savor five recipes defining local food culture.

‘Chao hau’, an unforgettable dish from Quang Binh

Quang Binh is known far and wide for its virgin beaches and natural landscapes, and also a specialty known as Chao hau (oyster congee).

HCM City to host festival featuring global delicious dishes

More than 50 pavilions will introduce a wide range of Vietnamese and global delicacies at a festival featuring delicious dishes which will be held in Ho Chi Minh from November 14-17.

Source: VNS