“Bánh mảnh cộng”- a cake made of Clinacanthus nutans leaves

My grandmother also makes tea with Clinacanthus nutans. She cuts the Clinacanthus nutans plant into small segments and lets them dry, then boils them with water to make the tea. She also makes “Bánh mảnh cộng” with green beans inside, it tastes very moist and sweet, and has a good aroma. Villagers in my hometown also use its leaves (after crushing it into small pieces) to treat sore eyes, or pan fried either to eat or treat tendon problems, swollen joints and fractures. If children feel pain when urinating they can drink clinacanthus nutans tea to alleviate the symptoms . Because my grandmother’s children ate this calcium rich vegetable her children have all grown up strong and healthy.

Time goes by so quickly and my grand-mother has passed away. My mother and my aunt haven’t got enough time to learn how to make this cake from my grand-mother yet so it has been 20 years since I had a chance to try it again. In the cooking book written by Mrs Van Dai there is a section that teaches you how to make “Bánh mảnh cộng”. I tried several times but couldn’t recreate its authentic taste.

Once, in an ancient bakery shop, I saw a cake that was dark green in color and smelled of Clinacanthus nutans leaves. I asked the old lady there, if it was “Bánh mảnh cộng” ? She confirmed, and said that she had made it. What happiness! It’s likes meeting up with old friends that you haven’t seen for a long time.

Her name is Vinh and she said that as well as “ Bánh mảnh cộng” she also makes: “Bánh dành dành”. This is a cake made from Gardenia jasminoides Ellis flowers; “Bánh gai” made from Boehmeria nivealeaves; and “bánh gấc” made from Momordica cochinchinensis fruit. These traditional cakes are not made by many people nowadays, but she can make them all. She said if the cakes are machine-made they are never as be delicious. She still makes cake in the traditional way, without additives, to create a natural taste and smell.

At 16A Ly Nam De Street you will find a shop owned by Mrs Pham Thi Hong Ha. This specializes in making traditional cakes. The shop is called Gia Trinh. There are many kinds of cakes here: “Bánh mảnh cộng” cake; “Củ cải” a cake made of radish; “Bánh gai” made with Boehmeria nivealeaves; “Bánh dành dành” the cake mentioned above; “Bánh ít dừa” sticky rice with green beans and coconut in the middle; “Khúc” cake sticky rice with green bean and pork in the middle; “Ngải cứu” made from Artemisia vulgaris L leaves with peanuts and coconut inside; “Bánh chưng” which is a square of sticky rice cake made specially for Tet; “Bánh dày”; sticky rice in a round shape and served with “Giò lụa”-steamed mint pork; and “Bánh dẻo” which is a sticky rice cake made from green beans.

“Bánh mảnh cộng” cake made by Gia Trinh who are specialized in making traditional cakes

Making “Bánh mảnh cộng” isn’t very difficult. Blend the Clinacanthus nutans leaves then use the juice to mix with sticky rice flour. Coconut is sliced into small strands and mixed with green beans and sugar then placed in the middle. The mixture of green bean, coconut, sugar brings a taste of sweetness and the fat to the dish. This mixture is wrapped in a layer of sticky rice that is green in color and smells of Clinacanthus nutans leaves. The cake is formed into a round shape and wrapped in banana leaves before steaming.

After steaming the cake needs to be left to cool down, the aroma leaves a warm feeling for everyone. After tasting, the flavor of the sticky rice, leaves and green beans stayed on my tongue and brought back childhood memories.

Mrs Ha Thi Hong Phan lives in Hang But St and recalled the old days when her mother used to make cakes such as “Bánh gấc” or “Bánh mảnh cộng”. She was less than 10 years old at that time but still wanted her mother to teach her how to make them. “Bánh gấc”cake was also made by a little girl named Hong Ha, it was very delicious, it had good moisture and a very good aroma. This passion for making traditional cakes has followed for decades. Hong Ha is now the owner of a famous bakery in Hanoi.

When you have a passion for traditional cakes you can’t ignore the ingredients. Mrs Hong Ha brings leaves from Clinacanthus nutans, Gnaphalium affine and Boehmeria nivea, together with Gardenia jasminoides Ellis flowers and Momordica cochinchinensis fruit from her hometown to the city. When there are not enough natural ingredients she grows them herself. All the cakes are made with new flour, fresh leaves, flowers and fruits. These cakes have a good smell of new sticky rice, new leaves and fresh green beans. Each of these small pieces of cake contains memories of Hanoi from the old days.

Recently, Mr Hai Phuong Nguyen rediscovered recipes and cooking methods for “Bánh mảnh cộng” and asked food experts sample it to see if it maintained its authentic flavor. After receiving comments from senior chefs and elderly people he returned home and practiced again. He repeated the processes 10 times before he could finally make “Bánh mảnh cộng” with its typical green color, the correct moisture and aroma, and the rich taste of green beans. It also had the smoothness which is critical in making “Bánh mảnh cộng”

"When cuisine carries cultural factors, it represents the manners and morals of a nation". Sometimes the simple things in life such as what you eat or drink, is the source of life .

Happiness comes when the old traditions are preserved. This simple thing means we are also preserving the roots of our hometown and our country?

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Dan Tri Newspaper

Extracted from articles written especially for Golden Spoon Contest 2014 called “A journey to search for traditional rustic dishes”