VIETNAMESE EGG
CAKE: VERY HOMECOOKING, VERY MOMCOOKING
Vietnamese mothers
are renowned for their
cooking skills which have
been passed down from
generation to generation
in the family. Hence,
if you may hear any of
your Vietnamese friends'
comments like "This
tastes like home!", or "It's
like mom's dishes", which
also means "the food is
just so delicious!" Talking
about mom's style in the
kitchen, you don't want
to miss the Vietnamese
Egg Meatloaf, or Egg
Cake - one of the most
familiar Southern dishes
in Vietnam. Remember
the popular "broken rice"
on the culinary map? You
won't be fulfilled if there
is a lack of this delightful
Egg Cake on the dish.
The very Southern way to
prepare Egg Cake is to mix
bean thread vermicelli,
ear mushrooms (fungus),
onions, shallots, ground
lean pork; then to knead
the mixture with the eggs
before seasoning it with
fish sauce, sugar, salt
and pepper. The mixture
should be steamed for 2530 minutes at 160C. One
tip to check if meatloaf
has been cooked is to use
bamboo toothpicks.
Inserting a toothpick into
the middle of the meatloaf,
raw meat will cling to the
toothpick. Before turning
off the heat to finish the
egg cake, people will use
the eggy yolks to create an
egg glaze on the surface.
Using this method, the
egg cake will have the
beautiful golden crust
which many foodies
fall for.
Another interesting
version of Egg Cake made
by Chinese community
is the Salted Egg Cake.
Instead of using chicken
eggs, salted duck eggs are
used in the mixture. This
kind of Egg Cake has
very special aroma and an
incredible taste.
A bowl of hot rice with
Vietnamese Egg Meatloaf,
with added sesame oil and
green onions on top, is all
you will want for a simple,
easy dish on lazy days.
*Itadakimasu:In Japan,
people say, "Itadakimasu"
before they eat. This is
taught as a table manner
since they are small. It
means, "I will eat now!"
"Dig in!" or "Let's eat!"
*Bisous: French Culture
- A word that slips off the
tongue with ease upon
parting from anyone
whose company you truly
enjoy.
TRAVELLIVE
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