In fact, you should not put chung cake in the refrigerator as it will become frozen. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as rice hardening.
Normally, chung cake can be preserved at room temperature for 3-5 days, and the duration may decrease in hot or humid weather.
With vacuum sealing, chung cake can be preserved for 5-10 days under normal conditions. Meanwhile, storing it in the fridge can extend its shelf life to 15-20 days.
If you can’t finish the chung cake, you can store it in the freezer. However, when defrosting, you should thaw it slowly in the refrigerator and then boil or steam it to make the cake less dry.
In January, the weather is often hot and humid, making it an ideal environment for bacteria and mold to grow. Chung cake, being a high-moisture food containing meat and fat, can facilitate the growth of bacteria and mold.
If you consume spoiled or moldy chung cake, you may experience stomach pain, diarrhea, or food poisoning that can be harmful to your health.
Here are some tips for preserving chung cake:
If the cake has white mold or sour odor at the corners, it is due to the packaging being torn, creating conditions for mold to grow. In this case, you should discard the moldy portion. The remaining part, if not spoiled, will still retain its normal delicious aroma.
Because the weather in our country is hot and humid, especially during the Lunar New Year, it is advisable to adjust the temperature accordingly, around 5-10 degrees Celsius if you want to store the cake in the fridge. If you store it in the freezer, the temperature should be below 3 degrees Celsius.
How to re-steam chung cake using an electric rice cooker:
Nowadays, besides cooking rice, the small and cute electric rice cooker at home has many other miraculous uses. Today, Cleanipedia would like to share a simple and time-saving tip on how to re-steam chung cake using an electric rice cooker.
Step 1: Prepare a steamer basket that comes with the rice cooker. If you don’t have one, you can easily find a separate steamer basket on online shopping websites. Make sure to measure the size of the rice cooker to choose a suitable steamer basket.
Step 2: Remove the outer wrapping of the chung cake that needs to be reheated.
Step 3: Pour an adequate amount of water, about one-third of the cooker’s volume.
Step 4: Place the unwrapped chung cake in the steamer basket. Then, put the steamer basket into the rice cooker and cover the lid.
Step 5: For smart rice cookers, you just need to select the cooking mode and adjust the appropriate cooking time, then wait until the cake is heated. For traditional rice cookers, you switch the button down to start cooking. After the light changes from “Cook” to “Warm,” you should wait for about 10 more minutes, then open the lid and enjoy the result.
If you don’t want to eat chung cake, you can try fried chung cake:
Ingredients:
250g chung cake (or banh tet)
20ml vegetable oil
30g pickled scallion
Instructions:
Step 1: Slice the cake
After unwrapping the chung cake, you can use a thread to tie and cut the cake into 8 pieces.
Step 2: Fry the cake
Heat the pan, add about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, spread it evenly over the pan. When the oil is hot, place the cake slices one by one and start frying.
Pay attention when one side of the cake is golden and crispy, flip the cake to continue frying the remaining sides until they are all evenly crispy.
Step 3: Finish
When the cake is crispy, remove it from the pan and place it on a paper towel to remove excess oil. This frying method helps the cake have a crispy outer texture, while maintaining the soft and chewy inside characteristic of the chung cake.
The fried chung cake is best enjoyed when it is hot. You can serve it with pickled scallion or a little vegetable oil to enhance its flavors.
Source: Giaitri.thoibaovhnt
