Back to English Comments Culture & Arts - September 23, 2018 | 11:16 am GMT+7 One experienced mooncake-maker in Hanoi has seen the art and craft wax and wane, and do it again.Dung’s hands move with practiced ease.He has been doing this for 50 years and the dough is like putty in his hands. After some kneading he cuts the dough into smaller pieces and uses the mold to shape them. A thin layer of white flour flies into the air every time he taps one piece of dough out of the wooden mold.Flour is everywhere. On the table. On his apron. On his sweaty, chef’s hat. And from the cloud of dough dust, a moon emerges. A white, sticky rice mooncake is ready to be baked and keep its tryst with the fullest, biggest moon of the year – the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, celebrated as the “Mid-Autumn Festival.”About 20 people are busy in the “workshop,” mixing fillings, shaping dough and baking new batches of cakes. They are focused and … [Read more...] about Many moons ago, mooncakes were a dark secret – VnExpress International
Salt dough handprints
Hot Cross Buns
For the upcoming Easter Sunday, chef Eric Fettke would like to share a typical, yet special Easter treat - Hot Cross Buns, which are available at the hotel's Cafe du Lac in the two weeks leading up to the occasion. Ingredients: makes 2 dozen Hot Cross Bun Mixture 300g unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup white sugar 2 packages Active dry yeast 1 cup milk 1tbsp salt zest of 1 lemon zest of 1 orange 6 cups plain flour 2 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp allspice 1 cup currants 1 cup sultanas 4 large eggs, lightly beaten For the topping 30ml vegetable oil 1 cup flour Pinch of salt Water In a bowl, whisk together the oil and 1/2 the flour plus 1tbsp of water. Add the remaining flour and salt, and whisk until well combined with no lumps. Let the mixture rest for 30 minutes before using. Directions Generously butter a large bowl. Heat the milk until just below simmering point. Pour the milk into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. With the machine on a low … [Read more...] about Hot Cross Buns
King Cake
Sofitel Saigon Plaza will mark the French tradition of La Galette des Rois, or King Cake, this New Year. La Galette des Rois, which has been celebrated in the first month of the year since 1870, requires each member of a family attending a party to take a piece from a cake inside which is hidden a bric-a-brac. Whoever gets it is "crowned" king or queen for the day and has to host the next year's party. In Sofitel's version - at the Special King Cake Buffet Brunch on Sunday, January 9 at Cafe Rivoli - the guest getting the hidden object will get a gift. The traditional frangipani-filled tart used for La Galette des Rois will be made this year by the hotel's award-winning pastry team, and will be available at the Gourmand Shop at Sofitel Saigon Plaza from January 2-23. Chef Tran Ngo Lam Khanh, winner of the 2009 Viet Nam Pastry Cup and the "a la carte dessert" category at the 2010 Viet Nam Pastry Competition, tells us how to make this almond-filled cake. Ingredients: serves 8 Puff … [Read more...] about King Cake
Skillful from preparation
Banh pia (pia cake), with the sweet taste and pure scent of durian, is a specialty in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang. The cake has a harmonious combination of many ingredients including pliable layers of green peas (or taro), pork fat and the yolk of salted duck egg. … [Read more...] about Skillful from preparation
Salt makers rake in the dough on rising prices
Salt makers rake in the dough on rising prices (03-05-2008) A salt worker in Duc Pho District in the central province of Quang Ngai harvests salt. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Long HA NOI — Sharp increases in the price of salt has compelled salt workers in the Mekong (Cuu Long) Delta region to fill up their aquaculture areas to produce salt again. Several years ago, the price of salt was low, even falling to VND100,000 (US$6.25) per tonne. Salt makers could hardly make ends meet even while working very hard. Unable to earn a living from making salt, a lot of farmers in the Mekong Delta shifted to aquaculture. However, earlier this year, the price of salt increased considerably, rising to VND1 to 1.2 million ($62.50 - $75) per tonne. The increase was due to bad weather-early and long-lasting rainy periods - which caused low yields for salt makers. Farmers in these areas, who gain little from aquaculture, are shifting back to salt again, hoping to earn more … [Read more...] about Salt makers rake in the dough on rising prices