VietNamNet Bridge – The sesame-coated fried cake served with malt extract is a specialty of Quang Hai area in Quang Xuong, Thanh Hoa Province.

The sesame-coated fried cake with malt extract is a must-try specialty of Thanh Hoa Province

Quang Hai residents may not forget their childhood associated with this special kind of cake as it reminds them of the Lunar New Year holidays in the old days when family members sat by a fire to roll tiny balls of glutinous rice flour and wait to taste the finished product.

This cake is often made only on holidays or in special events when family members gather together. On normal days, local women do not make it because kneading dough and rolling it into balls are a laborious task.

It can be made from both dried and wet glutinous rice flour. It takes more time to prepare wet flour but the finished product is tastier than that made from dried flour.

The flour is mixed with egg, ripe gac fruit and malt extract. The egg makes the cover of the cake crisp, gac fruit adds reddish color to the cake and malt sweetens it. Gac has a scientific name of momordica cochinchinensis.

The soft balls of flour are coated with a thick layer of sesame before being fried in boiling fat. The finished product has a golden brown color spotted with white sesame. It can be dipped into malt extract when served.