Banh Can (rice flour cake with many different fillings)

Banh Can (rice flour cake with many different fillings)

Banh can are small round cakes made of rice flour batter, baked over a charcoal fire on a special plate that has rounded hollows and these have little cast iron lids that go over each hollow. The cakes are then served with a combination of fried green onion, fish sauce and thinly-shredded green mango (you add to your taste) mixed with mouthwatering sauce of lemon juice, garlic, sugar and red pepper.

There can be many fillings. Quail eggs (Trung cut), squid (Muc), prawns (Tom), beef (Bo), chicken eggs (Trung Ga) and small snails (Hen) are some of the combinations I have seen. Chicken or quail eggs can be added to the batter for another variation on the cake. The eggs change the color from white to yellow.

You can get a pork ball in the sauce while you are waiting and this is called Xiu Mai (10 000vnd each). These are delicious.

There are many places to buy these but only on the streets. It is an afternoon or evening snack or meal.

This place (51 To Hien Thanh) is we think, the best in Nha Trang. It is a husband and wife team. She does the cooking and he does the serving and taking orders. He can speak a little English but pointing is also effective. It offers a mixed plate of six pieces, normally this is enough for one, costing 60 000 vnd. You can get all of one or none of what you don't like. I personally am not much a fan of the Hen (small snail) but I love everything else. They are open after 3pm most nights. Some evenings there is quite a crowd so it can be a wait but it is worth it.