Buzz
When mentioning sticky rice, people often think of the famous Vong Village in Hanoi. However, few know that Nong Xa Village in Hai Phong is also renowned for its batches of soft and fragrant sticky rice crafted in the traditional way.
Soft and fragrant traditional sticky rice in Nong Xa Village, Hai Phong
When the cool autumn breeze arrives, the air is filled with the aroma of sticky rice, a fragrant reminder of the land and sky. Speaking of sticky rice is speaking of the elegance and freshness of autumn.
Nong Xa Village, located in Tan Tien commune, An Duong district, was once famous for the craft of making raw rice. However, with market mechanisms, the craft has gradually declined. Now, only a few households in the village continue the profession, and the sound of rice pounding echoes through the village during the harvest season.
The sticky rice of Nong Xa Village is made from golden-flowered glutinous rice, a type with large and aromatic grains. The rice used for making sticky rice must be pure glutinous rice, as even a small amount of ordinary rice can affect the distinctive flavor of the rice batches.
Drying and storing rice in bags precedes the rice cake-making process. When starting the rice cake production, the rice undergoes thorough cleaning, soaking, and is treated with husk before being introduced into the cast iron pan for roasting.
The soaking of rice is a crucial and secretive step that determines the crispiness of the final rice cake. This step not only cleanses the soil and sand from the rice but also ensures the quality of each rice grain.
Rice meeting the standards is scooped out of the soaking basin, drained, and prepared for roasting. An experienced artisan estimates the perfect time for the rice to be poured into the hand-operated mortar. The roasted rice is manually pounded until the husk peels off, leaving flattened aromatic rice grains.
The roasting pan must be a cast iron pan. While manual rice turning was necessary in the past, nowadays, many have designed machines for this purpose. However, constant flame adjustments are still required, roasting for about 8-10 minutes or longer depending on the rice batch.
After roasting, the rice is left to cool before being transferred to the mortar, a few kilograms per batch. The rice cake-making process continues relentlessly, with the artisan sitting by the oven for several hours. After pounding the rice for about 15 minutes, it is poured into a woven basket for sieving, separating the husk from the raw rice cakes.
The pounded rice is then moved to the stage of separating bran and husk, known as 'de-ricing.' At this point, the artisan sifts the pounded rice from a height, in front of a fan, to blow away any remaining husk. The standard for the rice is clean, free of husk dust, with only flat green-white rice grains. Therefore, for each batch of husk, the artisan must sieve 3-4 times until it is clean enough to be packed.
Nong Xa Rice Village offers a variety of rice. In addition to raw rice, many households also transform raw rice into roasted rice. The roasted rice is often mixed with lard, butter, sugar, or salt, depending on the customer's preferences. The pliable rice grains, fragrant after roasting, retain the taste of young rice, providing a delightful crispiness in every bite.
Rice is not just a gift from the land and sky; it also carries the love of the people in every batch. The locals here craft rice with dedication, paying meticulous attention to each step to create a product with a distinctive flavor.
Nong Xa Rice Village, while having fewer households in this profession, still sees a demand for its rice, even sending it overseas as gifts for distant relatives. When in Hai Phong during the autumn days, don't miss the chance to savor this heartfelt rice dish and bring some home as a special gift!
Source: Mytour
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Reference: Travel Guide from Mytour
MytourNovember 28, 2022
