Nậm cake (steamed shrimp rice cake)

Nậm cake is made of rice flour, shrimp, wrapped in phrynium leaves and served with fish sauce. The processing procedure seems simple but actually requires the whole sincere heart of the cake maker from the shrimp choosing step to the fish sauce preparation. Most fresh shrimp must be soaked for several hours until soft and then grounded finely in a blender. Grounded shrimp, after added salt, sugar and fish sauce is stir-fried until dry and having a sweet and salty taste.
Photo: beptruong.edu.vn

The rice batter, made of rice flour, should be smooth and soft. Next, fried shrimp is spread on the top of the rice batter, and the whole is wrapped into a rectangular shape and steamed for about 15 minutes. It is the time to take off the cover and sniff the elegant scent of phrynium leaves. The shrimp is crispy, a bit greasy, sweet and salty in a nice way that most people are inclined to savor it gradually, and it is mixed so well with the rice batter that it tastes great on its own and even better with the sweet and spicy fish sauce