Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

01 Oct 2007

Bánh Trung Thu – Mooncakes

Filed Under:

The annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (Tết Trung Thu) came and went last Tuesday without much fanfare from the Gastronomy camp. There were a few celebrations taking place around town, but The Astronomer and I were too beat after work and running to partake in the fun. Are we getting old? I’m afraid so.

One aspect of the holiday that The Astronomer and I whole-heartedly embraced was the consumption of Moon Cakes (Bánh Trung Thu):

Most Moon Cakes are baked and contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in its center to symbolize the full moon. The saltiness of the yolk balances well with the sweet filling in the Moon Cakes.

Traditional Moon Cakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for “longevity” or “harmony” as well as the name of the bakery and filling in the Moon Cake. Imprints of a moon, a woman on the moon, flowers, vines, or a rabbit may surround the characters for additional decoration.

Moon Cakes are expensive and considered a delicacy. Production is labor-intensive and few people make them at home. Most Moon Cakes are bought at Asian markets and bakeries.

The Astronomer bought his Moon Cake from our favorite bakery in District 10 for 30,000 VND. The cake was imprinted with coy fish and filled with various roasted meats including pork and ham, lotus seed paste, two salted egg yolks, and sesame seeds. I bought a Moon Cake from a vegetarian restaurant in District 3 for 15,000 VND. The cake was imprinted with a lotus blossom and contained cashews, sesame seeds, whole lotus seeds, lotus seed paste, and mock roasted meats. Moon Cakes come in a variety of shapes and fillings, but the types we purchased were labeled thap cam, which roughly translates to “a little bit of everything.”

I ate Moon Cakes on a few occasions growing up, but never realized they contained any meat because they were so sweet. However, now that my palate has matured a bit, I can definitely discern between the meaty elements and sweet ones and can appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into each cake.

The day after Tết Trung Thu, all the bakeries in town began offering cakes for either half-off or “buy one get one free.” Between The Astronomer and I, we stocked up on four extra cakes to prolong the deliciousness of the holiday.

Saigon

26 Sep 2007

Vegetation Profile: Ambarella

Filed Under:

0 Comments

Ambarella are deciduous or semi-evergreen trees growing to 25 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, pinnate, rarely bipinnate or simple. The fruit is a drupe similar to a small mango (in the related genus Mangifera), 4-10 cm long, ripening yellow or orange. About 10 species of Spondias bear edible fruits and have been domesticated for fruit production. The fruit has a single seed.

I buy ambarellas or trái cóc daily from the fruit vendor outside my office—they usually go for about 1,500 VND. The Vietnamese seem to prefer their trái cóc unripe, on a stick, and dipped in a chili and salt mixture. The appearance, taste, and texture of green trái cóc are reminiscent of green mangoes and much too sour for my taste. I prefer my trái cóc juicy and ripe. Stick optional.

Restaurant Review

25 Sep 2007

Dai Duong – Da Nang

Filed Under:

0 Comments

September 2, 2007
Cuisine: Seafood, Vietnamese

Bai Tam My Khe
Da Nang, Vietnam

Phone: 0511940989
Website: none

—

Grilled Clams with Scallions, Tomatoes, Onions (35,000 VND)

Lemongrass Snails (40,000 VND)

Thin Egg Noodles with Squid, Tomatoes, and Spinach (40,000 VND)

—

Before flying back to Saigon, The Astronomer and I had a dinner date with Cathy. She took us to her favorite seafood eatery located yards away from Da Nang’s China Beach. The view and food at Dai Duong were both stellar. It doesn’t get any fresher than eating seafood by the sea.

Cathy recommended that we order the grilled clams. She had them once prior and found them delightful. The clams were smothered with sautéed onions, scallions and tomatoes, which brought about subtle flavors that didn’t drown out the clams’ natural goodness—another excellent call by Cathy.

I initially ordered an eel dish, but the restaurant was fresh out. I opted instead for snails. The snails were de-shelled, humongous, and seasoned with deliciously long strands of lemongrass. While some may find the texture of snails overly chewy, I really dig it. The snails were The Astronomer’s and my favorite dish of the evening.

For the carbohydrate portion of our meal, we had steamed white rice and a plate of stir fried noodles. The noodles were a bit on the mushy side, but the tomatoes and squid delivered a double punch that saved the dish.