Tasting delicious white rose cake in Hoi An
One of the best street foods in the ancient city of Hoi An in Vietnam that visitors should not miss when traveling to this ancient town is 'Vac' cake (dubbed as White Rose), which is made from simple ingredients of rice flour and fresh shrimp.
Vac cake is basically a dumpling comprising of two small 2-inch diameter rounds of rice paper, with a dime-sized lump of meat filling right in the center.
When the rice paper is steamed, the edges get soft and chewy and warp a little, making the dumpling look like a white flower.
They are presented about 15 on a plate, topped with crunchy bits of toasty garlic and served with a sweet dipping sauce.
When prepared well the texture is soft but slightly chewy, sweet from the sauce and crunchy/salty from the toasted garlic, savory from the shrimp meat filling.
The translucence of the flour along with the color of the shrimp meat gives it the appearance of a white rose petal.