Nam Dinh Siu Chau Candy - a unique specialty of Vietnam

Not only Nam Dinh people but also tourists from all over the country, and even those far from home, know the rustic, elegant flavor of the rustic gift - Siu Chau peanut candy. Recently, along with Bun Chopsticks and Nam Dinh Beef Noodle Soup, Siu Chau candy was ranked in the top 100 specialties and gifts of 2020-2021 for delicious dishes and unique products of Vietnam.

The craft of making peanut candy Siu Chau Nam Dinh has been famous for nearly two centuries. Even the name of the candy arouses many people's curiosity. According to Nam Dinh people, the name Siu Chau has existed for a long time and is associated with a famous candy shop. The shop is on Hang Sat Street, a street with many Thieu Chau people, next to Thieu Chau Temple. Whenever people tell each other how to buy candy, they point to Thieu Chau Temple. At first, it was called "candy near Thieu Chau Temple", but gradually, for ease of remembering, people called it "Thieu Chau candy" then "Sìu Chau" or more simply, Siu candy.

Making this delicious candy is an art. The ingredients for Siu Chau candy are easy to find, including peanuts, sesame, cane sugar, yellow sticky rice and young rice to make malt. According to Ms. Vu Thi Hoa, owner of the famous Siu Chau Kim Thanh Hoa brand in Nam Dinh, the input materials are the main determinant of the quality of the candy.

“Peanuts must have pink skin, small seeds to have the right crunchiness and quality essential oil. We do not use the large type that is popular on the market. To make malt, we use clean ingredients from the countryside, such as golden sticky rice and germinated rice, dried, ground, and fermented with sticky rice. The pink-skinned peanut variety is being lost, so I am expanding the sesame and peanut fields right in the locality to produce this main ingredient myself,” said the traditional candy maker.

Peanuts are carefully selected, then shaken with boiling water to remove all dirt, then left to dry and drain before being roasted. According to traditional standards, peanuts are roasted on sand to have a crispy, fragrant taste without being burnt by the essential oil. Sesame can be white or black sesame, each type will make the candy delicious with a different flavor and color. After the sesame and peanuts are roasted, let them cool, peel off the shell, clean them, then cook with sugar and mix with malt.

To cook Siu Chau candy, the craftsman needs to have a delicate feeling and strong, skillful hands, and work very quickly and decisively, because the candy is cooked in a short time. Skilled people will have the secret of "swapping sugar" to ensure the flavor blends well, not too sweet or too fatty: "The craftsman must ensure that his hands are flexible, keeping the heat of the stove steady and steady during the cooking process. And they must know how to look with their eyes, feel with their chopsticks when the consistency of the malt sugar mixture is reached to pour in the peanuts and. And each factory requires someone with experience in cooking candy to grasp the secret. It looks easy to do, but each step must be precise. Because if not, when packaging, the quality of the product cannot be controlled."

The candy must be pinkish brown and clear like amber when baked, crispy and fragrant with sweetness. The final step is to pour the hot candy mixture onto a tray with sticky rice flour to prevent moisture and quickly roll it out thinly and cut it into strips. The candy bars are cut short, lightly covered with a layer of ivory white flour, crispy and fragrant, with the nutty taste of peanuts mixed with the light sweetness, the sharpness of malt, the aroma of roasted peanuts mixed with the aroma of sticky rice flour.

The advantage of Siu Chau candy is that it does not stick to your teeth and is sweet without being boring. It can be said that, not only is it a unique specialty, the pride of the land of Thanh Nam culture, Siu Chau candy is also a gift associated with traditional Vietnamese families. There is truly nothing more interesting than enjoying Siu candy with a hot cup of lotus tea with loved ones.

Recently, along with Pho Bo, Bun Chopsticks, Siu Chau candy was ranked in the top 100 delicious dishes and unique gifts of Vietnam. According to Mr. Le Tan, Secretary of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, Siu Chau peanut candy brand will be more known on the culinary tourism map if it can improve the product packaging design to be more eye-catching. Currently, along the streets in Nam Dinh such as Nguyen Du, Truong Chinh, Minh Khai, there are many Siu candy production facilities with different brands. The price of Siu candy is very reasonable, usually ranging from 50 to 200 thousand VND per box.

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