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| Huong Can vegetarian banh goi exudes the beauty of simplicity, deliciousness, and visual appeal |
Vegetarian banh goi has solemnly appeared many times on offering trays during ancestral worship on full moon days, alongside many traditional Hue dishes offered to ancestors. Vegetarian banh goi is present everywhere in the daily life and culinary culture of Huong Can Village in particular and Hue in general.
Vegetarian banh goi requires more ingredients and effort than its non-vegetarian counterpart. The process begins with an early morning trip to the market to buy the freshest ingredients, gathering and cleaning dong leaves, preparing the filling, mixing the dough, and wrapping the cakes... taking time from morning until afternoon. For them, making banh goi is an experience and a joy, expressing their love for cooking. Making the dough is a meticulous process, requiring a precise ratio of rice flour and tapioca flour. The amount of water added must be carefully measured to avoid being too thick or too thin. The batter must be stirred continuously to ensure it blends with the water, creating a smooth, slightly thick consistency. It is then placed on the stove, cooked over low heat while being constantly stirred, without a moment of distraction.
The difference between non-vegetarian banh goi and vegetarian banh goi lies in the ingredients and seasoning. Vegetarian banh goi only uses plant-based ingredients for the filling. There are two types of vegetarian banh goi. The first type has a filling made of cooked, mashed mung beans, seasoned with vegetarian spices. The second type features a filling made from wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, tofu, dried bean curd sheets, mung beans... These ingredients are processed and mixed together, creating a “color palette” that makes the filling visually appealing. While non-vegetarian banh goi uses shallots for seasoning, vegetarian banh goi uses crispy white Hue kieu onions (Allium chinense). The kieu onions are cleaned and divided into two batches. The first batch is thinly sliced and mashed with pepper to enhance the aroma before being mixed with the filling. The second batch is fried in oil until golden and fragrant. Leeks are also added to enhance flavor and blend beautifully into the vegetarian filling.
The wrapping leaves are carefully selected from the village itself. This is because they have large, vibrant green blades with a distinctive fragrance, adding to the delicious aroma and taste of the banh goi. The way of wrapping banh goi in Huong Can also has unique features. A thin layer of dough is spread on the back of a dong leaf, followed by an even layer of filling, then the leaf is folded in half. Each edge is wrapped with three consecutive diagonal folds, forming a characteristic rooftop shape, and the two ends of the leaf are bent backward to secure the fold.
Hue people enjoy “eating fragrance, eating flowers,” so the banh goi is often thin and delicate. However, the filling is plentiful to create a rich and flavorful taste. Each vegetarian banh goi is considered a delicacy, as the dong leaf retains its vibrant green color after steaming, the dough remains soft and chewy, and the filling is well-seasoned and blended. When unwrapped, the banh goi displays a variety of colors: the translucent white of the dough, the deep brown of the mushrooms, the rich yellow of the tofu, the pale yellow of the mung beans, the bright orange of the carrots, and the harmonious green of the leeks, creating a visually appealing dish.
Among the hundreds of vegetarian dishes in Hue - the Buddhist capital, Huong Can vegetarian banh goi is a profound note in the serene, pure culinary melody of the land. Through this dish, the people cultivate compassion and seek inner peace.