Villages work overtime to produce rustic cakes, but there are still not enough to sell during Tet.

Banh ca is a simple hometown gift, made from the main ingredients of sticky rice flour, sugar and eggs. Banh ca is especially popular during the Lunar New Year. Photo: HT

Hung Tan eggplant cake craft village was recognized in 2018. Previously, people made cakes entirely by hand, from kneading dough to shaping cakes. Currently, in Hung Tan, there are about 100 households participating in the eggplant cake making craft village. Photo: HT

Since the establishment of the cooperative, households have been supported to buy machinery, so production speed and efficiency have increased many times. Photo: HT

On the eve of Tet, the banh ca production team led by Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung (middle) in Lang Dong hamlet, Hung Tan commune (Hung Nguyen) uses 100 kg of sticky rice flour every day to produce cakes. "The team has 9 people who regularly take turns working. Every day, we get up at 4 am and work until late at night, but until now we still don't have enough products to sell," Ms. Dung said. Photo: HT

After mixing the glutinous rice flour with eggs and rolling them into balls, the cakes are put into a pan of boiling oil to be fried until crispy. The frying process requires constant stirring to avoid burning and uneven cooking. Photo: HT

After the cake is cooked, it is taken out to cool and then sorted, removing any burnt, broken or cracked pieces before packaging the product. Photo: HT

People of Hung Tan eggplant cake craft village said that to meet market demand, in addition to the traditional sweetness, producers are now creatively adding many other flavors such as salty eggplant cake, black sesame eggplant cake, lotus seed eggplant cake... The selling price depends on the type of ingredients, ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 VND/kg. Photo: HT

Currently, eggplant cake producers in Hung Tan are quite assured when they receive support from Hung Tan Agricultural and Environmental Services Cooperative and the Provincial Cooperative Union in terms of policies and product promotion. On the occasion of Tet, nearly 100 households in Hung Tan eggplant cake craft village are working from morning to night, concentrating on production to meet orders before resting to celebrate the Year of the Cat. Photo: HT