Sandwich shop goodies 3 – Bánh ú tro (Vietnamese-adapted jianshui zong)
It’s been two weeks, but better late than never. After I read Jessica’s zong zi post on Food Mayhem, images of amber tedrahedra just wouldn’t leave me alone. I talked to my mom about them, and I could hear her voice crackle with sweet memories over the phone. We haven’t had these sweet little things for years. We used to eat them by the dozens every lunar May. Like most Saigonese, we didn’t do anything huge to celebrate Tet Doan Ngo, but bánh ú tro was too scrumptious a tradition to pass.
Each pyramid is just a little over an inch tall, whichever way you roll it. It’s unclear whether the traditional zongzi grew smaller when Chinese immigrants share the recipe with their Vietnamese neighbors, or only the dessert zongzi (jianshui zong) is favored by the locals over savory types. Most Vietnamese have also long dissociated this sticky rice snack with the Chinese reason behind Duanwu festival, if not to assign the Fifth of Lunar May to commemorate the death anniversary of Vietnam’s legendary Mother Âu Cơ, kill off bad bugs, make ceremonial offerings to family ancestors, or simply bathe in the summer solstice’s endless sunlight. Whatever meaning someone chooses to celebrate (or not celebrate) Duanwu (Đoan Ngọ in the Vietnamese language), he can enjoy bánh ú tro all the same. And if he lives in Hội An, there’s a big chance he actually participates in making them too.
The people of Hoi An don’t make a living with bánh ú tro year round, but they keep the tradition with earnest. Within four days, 1st-4th of lunar May, everybody makes bánh ú tro. The fifth day, everybody eats bánh ú tro. The sixth day, things get back to normal. In Saigon’s markets, bánh ú tro start showing up a week or two before the Fifth, and disappear right after, my mom recalled. So when I told her that I was going to search for them after I read Jessica’s post, she said “fat chance”.
Why such rarity? After all, bánh bía, also adapted from the Chinese and also originally made just for one specific festival, shines its face all year long in every bakery and sandwich shop these days. Well, the recipe for bánh ú tro turns out to be real hard, and it’s not just the wrapping stage. The best bánh ú tro, according to Hoi An banh makers, must be wrapped with “kè” leaves from the mountains of Huế. The cleanly washed sticky rice is soaked in sesame ash water overnight (sesame plant burnt into ashes, mixed with water and sifted through sand). The ash water turns sticky rice grains into semi-powder form, giving bánh ú tro a clear amber look and a strangely light texture, unlike any other sticky rice concoctions. No wonder “ash” (tro) is part of the banh’s definitive name. (If you look at jianshui zong recipes, you’ll find lye water or alkaline water listed. More correct terms perhaps, but the horrid image on Wikipedia’s page on lye takes away my appetite. “Ash” even has a romantic ring to it, and this banh is made for a poet after all.) A bit of alum is put in the ash water to somehow keep each banh from falling apart.
Now of course sesame plants aren’t growing in everyone’s backyard to burn, so just any coal ash would do, as long as you sift the ash water carefully to avoid big pieces of charcoal in your sticky rice. Some different source suggests ash from mangrove firewood, dissolved in water for a month, but it seems to be just another grandmother’s special recipe varying by the regions. After soaking the rice for 1-3 nights, take it out and wash with cold water again.
The wrapping leaves, too, vary from place to place. Kè leaf is obviously not the most popular, as bamboo leaf and reed leaf, in their slender shape and earthy fragrance, do the job just as well. Banana leaves can be cut into wide strips to imitate bamboo leaves. Skilled banh makers can also control the colors: older leaves give darker hues, substituting ash with white lime paste(*) lets bánh ú tro have the natural green shades from the leaves, while red lime paste causes a reddish amber shine.
Nonetheless, there exists a common wisdom regardless of ingredients: burn an incense stick when you drop the banh into water for boiling, when the incense burns out, the banh is done. Usually that takes four hours.
Let cool, bánh ú tro is more firm than chewy. There you can still see silhouettes of individual grains on the outside, but each banh is a solid tedrahedron of defined edges and uniform texture. It unwraps easily, parallel thread marks of bamboo leaf veins imprint on the smooth and fulfilling surfaces. It’s hardly sticky, unlike bánh ít and bánh dầy (also made from sticky rice). And it’s light. The banh’s are tied together in bundles of ten, and I can eat all ten in one sitting. (I can hardly finish one bánh ít in one sitting.) Funny, “ít” means “small in quantity”, and “ú” means “chubby”.
The traditional bánh ú tro of the North and Central Vietnam is just that, a plain chunk, good by itself to some and must be accompanied by honey or sugar to others. Then with time it got a sweetened red bean paste filling. Then a sweetened mung bean paste filling. Then a sweetened grated coconut filling. I grew up eating the red bean kind every year and thought it was the only kind. So I jumped at the first bunch I saw at Kim’s Sandwiches last Sunday, twelve days after the Fifth of Lunar May. The bunch was tied together by green nylon strings. I hurried home, unwrapped, took a bite. My mom called.
– Mom, I found them!
– Really?!?! How are they?
– Good, but why’s there no bean paste?!
Should’ve gotten the red string bunch instead.
———————————————————————-
Bánh ú tro ($3.75/10 pieces) from Kim’s Sandwiches
(in the Lion Supermarket area)
1816 Tully Rd 182, San Jose, CA 95111
(408) 270-8903
(*) Lime paste is used to eat with betel leaves and areca nuts.
Click here for a recipe of bánh ú tro (Vietnamese zong zi)
———————————————————————–
Previously on Sandwich Shop Goodies: bánh bía (Vietnamese adapted Suzhou mooncake)
Next on Sandwich Shop Goodies: corn xôi
I’m not sure exactly why but this site is loading very slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end? I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.
1Simply want to say your article is as astounding. The clarity in your post is just excellent and i could assume you’re an expert on this subject. Well with your permission allow me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please carry on the enjoyable work.
2포항출장마사지 전문 업체입니다. 24시간 연중무휴 운영과 100 후불제 시스템으로 언제든 편하게 예약 가능! 전원 한국여성 테라피스트가 커플마사지까지 전문 제공
3Everything is very open and very clear explanation of issues. was truly information. Your website is very useful. Thanks for sharing.
4It’s laborious to find knowledgeable individuals on this topic, but you sound like you already know what you’re talking about! Thanks
5you may have an amazing blog here! would you like to make some invite posts on my weblog?
6Hi , I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbled upon it on Yahoo , i will come back once again. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and help other people.
7Only wanna say that this is very useful, Thanks for taking your time to write this.
8You could certainly see your expertise in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.
9Some genuinely choice blog posts on this web site, saved to bookmarks.
10It’s actually a cool and helpful piece of information. I’m happy that you simply shared this useful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
11you have a great blog here! would you like to make some invite posts on my blog?
12Yeah bookmaking this wasn’t a risky conclusion great post! .
13I have recently started a blog, the info you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.
14You are my inspiration , I possess few web logs and sometimes run out from to post : (.
15You really make it appear so easy along with your presentation but I to find this topic to be actually something that I think I’d never understand. It kind of feels too complex and very extensive for me. I’m looking forward on your subsequent submit, I will try to get the cling of it!
16Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to assert that I get in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently fast.
17Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog!
18I do accept as true with all the ideas you have offered in your post. They are very convincing and can certainly work. Still, the posts are very short for newbies. May you please prolong them a bit from subsequent time? Thank you for the post.
19Thankyou for this tremendous post, I am glad I found this site on yahoo.
20I’ve been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this site. Thank you, I’ll try and check back more often. How frequently you update your web site?
21You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and extremely broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!
22wonderful points altogether, you simply gained a brand new reader. What would you recommend in regards to your post that you made a few days ago? Any positive?
23강남구구단 방문을 준비하고 있다면 가격 구성, 이용 방식, 예약 절차와 위치 확인사항을 살펴보세요. 인원·시간에 따른 상담 항목과 자주 묻는 질문을 한곳에 정리했습니다.
24I like what you guys are up also. Such clever work and reporting! Carry on the superb works guys I have incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my web site 🙂
25Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to mention that I have truly loved browsing your weblog posts. In any case I will be subscribing to your feed and I’m hoping you write once more very soon!
26It’s actually a great and useful piece of information. I’m glad that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
27You are my intake, I possess few blogs and infrequently run out from to post .
28Hey I am so delighted I found your blog page, I really found you by mistake, while I was researching on Askjeeve for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say thank you for a remarkable post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all at the moment but I have book-marked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the superb job.
29I very delighted to find this web site on bing, just what I was searching for : D too saved to favorites.
30I truly appreciate this post. I’ve been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thanks again
31Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could locate a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having problems finding one? Thanks a lot!
32Hi! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this write-up to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
33I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, but great topic.
I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more.
34Thanks for magnificent info I was looking for this information for my mission. xnxx
Its wonderful as your other posts : D, regards for posting. “Even Albert Einstein reportedly needed help on his 1040 form.” by Ronald Reagan.
35Great write-up, I am normal visitor of one’s web site, maintain up the excellent operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a long time.
36I discovered your blog site on google and check a few of your early posts. Continue to keep up the very good operate. I just additional up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Seeking forward to reading more from you later on!…
37Hello! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing several weeks of hard work due to no data backup. Do you have any solutions to protect against hackers?
38Some really wondrous work on behalf of the owner of this site, perfectly outstanding subject material.
39This website online can be a stroll-by means of for the entire data you wished about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse right here, and you’ll definitely uncover it.
40I enjoy assembling useful info, this post has got me even more info! .
41wonderful post, very informative. I wonder why the other experts of this sector do not notice this. You should continue your writing. I am sure, you’ve a huge readers’ base already!
42I truly treasure your work, Great post.
43Appreciating the hard work you put into your site and detailed information you provide. It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed information. Fantastic read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.
44I enjoy your writing style genuinely loving this web site.
45I have recently started a site, the information you offer on this website has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work.
46Superb post however , I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this subject? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Cheers!
47This web page is known as a stroll-via for all of the info you wanted about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse right here, and also you’ll undoubtedly uncover it.
48I genuinely enjoy examining on this website , it has excellent content. “Violence commands both literature and life, and violence is always crude and distorted.” by Ellen Glasgow.
49I like this blog very much, Its a real nice place to read and receive information. “The love of nature is consolation against failure.” by Berthe Morisot.
50