Humped banh chung - a specialty of Ha Giang karst plateau

BHG - If visitors ever set foot in Ha Giang — Vietnam’s northernmost province — they should not miss trying banh chung gu (humped banh chung) — a famous local specialty.

Banh chung is an indispensable dish for every Vietnamese person during the Tet holiday. In Vietnam, there are many different types of banh chung, such as the square banh chung in the north, black banh chung, and humped banh chung from the mountainous communities, with each type representing the unique cultural identity of each ethnic group.

In Ha Giang, there is a special type of banh chung called humped banh chung. The unique feature of Ha Giang’s humped banh chung is that it is very soft, delicious, rich in flavour, and not overwhelming to eat.

Here are some images of Ha Giang’s humped banh chung:

To make delicious humped banh chung, you need the following ingredients: white glutinous rice, small-sized mung beans, pork belly of black pigs, dong leaves, and soft bamboo strings.

Before wrapping the cake, the dong leaves must be washed clean and dried.

Creating the humped shape requires skilful wrapping. First, glutinous rice is spread evenly on the dong leaf, then seasoned pork belly and mung beans are added. The edges of the leaf are then folded to create the distinctive hump shape.

This step requires extreme dexterity, as otherwise, the cake will be unbalanced and unattractive. Finally, it’s tied with the bamboo strings.

After tying, the cakes are boiled over a wood stove. The boiling time is estimated at about 8-10 hours.

After boiling, the cakes are removed, dried to cool, and vacuum sealed.

Humped banh chung is a must-try dish in every visitor’s journey to Ha Giang. Today, humped banh chung has become a popular gift and famous specialty of Ha Giang in particular and of the Vietnamese people in general.

HONG CU