Visitors to the southcentral province of Ninh Thuan should take the opportunity to taste banh can, a local specialty made from rice flour served with egg and seafood.
Its easy to find a street shop selling this freshly-made cake which is baked in a round-shape terra-cotta mould consisting of over ten smaller moulds measured 6cm in diameter with lids of the same material.
The mould is put onto a charcoal oven with a suitable fire for perfectly-crispy cover and soft stuffing of the cake. The seller will pour flour with cooking oil into the mould. The thinner the cake is, the more delicious it is.
The food is served to diners in pairs accompanied with vegetables consisting of sliced star fruit, banana and cucumber and fish sauce mixed with spices called nuoc ca kho, or fish sauce made from sugar, chili and lemonade. Diners are advised to take a small bowl of fish sauce and then soak the cake and the vegetables in the sauce before enjoying. Some people cannot resist the delicious baked smell of egg, cooking oil and seafood in the air, so they just have to enjoy vegetables with fish sauce whilst waiting for their banh can to be served.
A banh can dinner at an outdoor shop on any pavement will be a delight for any traveler to this coastal central region as it seems to delivers the salty taste of the sea.