Hanoi Cha Cake – Specialty of the Ancient Capital

>>> Sweet traditional flavors on Hang Than Street

>>> Speaking of royal rice cakes – Lang Lieu rice cakes

Cha cake is a special traditional baked snack of Hanoi that always carries the characteristic flavor, the subtle nuttiness of lime leaves, the rich and fragrant taste of pork fat, and the crunchiness of the crust outside.

A long-standing gift of Hanoians

Cha cake has long become a familiar snack for Hanoians, loved by everyone from the elderly to young children. No one knows who created Cha cake or when it originated; it is only known that all over the streets of old Hanoi, there were families specializing in the manual production and sale of this cake. Through a long process, Cha cake has become one of the traditional snacks of the people of Hanoi.

The golden, fragrant Cha cakes with the flavor of lime leaves, the richness of pork fat and sausage, and the sweetness of candied winter melon; eating a piece that crunches in the mouth and then the chewiness of the fat has become a flavor that is not only familiar but also a delicious and unique snack gift of the people of Hanoi.

A few elderly people sit together, drink tea, enjoy a plate of Cha cakes, and chat here and there, occasionally laughing heartily, dispelling all the fatigue and worries of a lifetime. And then the hustling and bustling things out there seem so trivial. Cha cake is just that simple, yet everyone has to love and cherish it.

With a bit of hot tea, Hanoi Cha cake is even more special, making people praise it constantly and eat it endlessly. Indeed, there is no place with this flavor, oldest in Hanoi, best in the Capital.

Cha cake used to be an indispensable snack in every family, especially at the beginning of spring when Tet arrives. The Cha cakes placed on the ancestral altar or used to treat guests have been a beautiful cultural feature of the people here.

Hanoi specialties always carry a gentle, elegant, and lingering feeling within them. The flavor is never too strong or distinct like Central specialties that prefer spiciness or Southern specialties that prefer sweetness. Hanoi specialties are always like water, bringing people freshness and simplicity, so that the eater always remembers it and never forgets.

Making Cha cake seems easy but it is not

The ingredients to make Cha cake are also very close to the Vietnamese people; the ingredients are similar to mooncakes but fewer, and the preparation is less complicated. The filling of the Cha cake is mainly made from pork fat, sausage, candied winter melon, and lime leaves; the crust is made from wheat flour along with other ingredients such as sugar, cooking oil, salt, ...

The flour for the crust must be kneaded evenly, smooth, and allowed to ferment for the prescribed time so that the dough can ferment sufficiently for the cake to be crispy and fluffy. The ingredients for the filling are diced evenly and mixed together. After the dough is fermented, it is rolled thin, the filling is placed inside, rolled into a tube shape, then cut into small, pretty pieces with a knife, and then put into the oven.

If you want to keep the Cha cake for a long time and fragrant, the selection of ingredients is extremely important. Pork fat and sausage must be fresh and clean food, not allowed to be rancid. Lime leaves are the main factor that creates the aroma of this type of cake, so people often pick old lime leaves and do not leave them for too long before making the cake to avoid the evaporation of lime essential oil.

Wheat flour should also be new so that when the cake is baked, it will be fragrant and the cake will be golden. Or the temperature and time of baking the cake are also extremely important; the baker must set it at a moderate level for the cake to be delicious and crispy for a long time.

Depending on the experience of each family, each family has a different recipe, mixing ratio, and secret to creating Cha cake products that carry the specific characteristics of that family.

Source: Compiled