Published:  10:26 Tuesday - October 30, 2012

The cake is made of special rice flour, green beans, fresh shrimps and other ingredients. One can enjoy this dish with Phu Quoc fish sauce, and lettuce and basil

The southern area of Vietnam is famous for many delicious dishes and one of them is Cong cake in Soc Trang Province. It is a typical delicacy of the southern culinary arts.

The cake is made of special rice flour, green beans, fresh shrimps and other ingredients. One can enjoy this dish with Phu Quoc fish sauce, and lettuce and basil because the greens and herbs delicately mask the cake’s oiliness, while the fish sauce ties all the flavors together.

To make the cake, use a round aluminum mould, 4cm in height, with a diameter of 5cm, a flat bottom and a 30cm long handle. The mould is called Cong so the cake is named after the mould. Preparation is critical in every step of making the cake, such as mixing the rice flour, frying the cakes and preparing the sour and sweet sauce. Cong cake is eye-catching and is crispy and tasty.
Ingredients:
- Green beans: 100g
- Rice flour: 200g
- Wheat flour: 50g
- Fresh shrimp: 300g
-  ½ teaspoon of salt
-  1 teaspoon of sugar
- One onion
- Lemon juice; red pepper; garlic; fish sauce; cooking oil; and ¼ liter of water

Preparation:
- Soak the green beans in water for a few hours and then take off their skin and steam until they become soft.
- Mix the rice flour and wheat flour with water and stir well, add a dash of salt and sugar.
- Chop carefully the onion and half of peeled fresh shrimp and mix with the prepared batter.
- Heat the cooking oil and dip the cake mould into to make it hot. Take the mould out and fill the mould with batter and then cover with steamed green beans and shrimps. Put the mould into the cooking oil and fry until the cake becomes brown and floats. Take the cake out. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
- Mix Phu Quoc fish sauce with lemon juice, sugar, red pepper and garlic.
- Serve hot with the sour and sweet sauce and lettuces, sliced star-fruit, cucumber and basil.

Story: Vinh Hung - Photos: Cong Dat