(BGO) - Some people in Duc Lien village, Hong Thai commune, Viet Yen district in the northern province of Bac Giang still persist in making Com or green rice flakes which is the special gift from the soil made by hard-working peasants.
Anyone can enjoy Com’s simple and fresh fragrance at the first step in Duc Lien village. Coming here, they will have a chance to listen to the special rhythmic pounding of wooden pestles against mortars filled with young rice and see women shifting and winnowing the pounded young rice.
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Tran Thi Hai makes Com at night to deliver to customer in early morning of the next day. |
Tran Thi Hai (born in 1974) mastered to pour small quantity of young green sticky rice to the pan and instructed her co-worker to adjust temperature and the time of cooking.
She shared: “My family has kept the traditional craft to make Com. Since I was a girl, my parent had taught me the craft. Later when I got married, I still persist in making Com. Previously, it was really hard to make Com because I used fire and coal to dry Com and only strong man could pluck off the rice manually. Nowadays, I hired a mechanic to make special gas stove, self stirring pan, plucking machine to make the rural dish. The initial high investment gives me clean product and saves both time and man power”.
Only few families in Duc Lien village now keep the traditional craft, most of whom are relatives of Hai. They said Duc Lien Com is delicious with signature fragrance because it is made of young green sticky rice grown on local fields.
The experience proved that Com made of seasonal sticky rice is much better so Hai usually buys huge quantity of such rice from local farmers as the material for later production.
Com is often made at night for early morning sale. Hai’s family can make about 30 – 40 kg of Com every night. Many customers placed orders via phone and her products are sold out soon.
To make it more eyecatching, Hai presses young leaves of sticky rice into water with natural green then mixes with Com. Before delivering Com to the customer, the crystal spring rice is wrapped tightly in emerald lotus leaves to keep it from drying and allowing it to absorb lotus flavour. Currently it is sold at about 120,000 VND (5 USD) per kg in Duc Lien village.
The skillful hands of local women make diverse products from Com such as Com candies, Com sweet soup, Com steam sticky rice among others. Many customers near and far knew about Duc Lien Com and placed order to use on special occasion or as a unique gift from homeland. |
On the occasion of Tet holiday, the skillful hands of local women make diverse products from Com such as Com candies, Com sweet soup, Com steam sticky rice among others.
Many customers near and far knew about Duc Lien Com and placed order to use on special occasion or as a unique gift from homeland. Having a pinch of Com on the cold days surely brings you special feeling. After slowly chewing Com, you can enjoy all the scents, tastes, and plasticity of the young rice which is sweet, nutty and buttery.
Chairman of Hong Thai communal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Manh said the Com making craft presented here long time ago but it encountered a lot of difficulties due to reduced sticky growing area. Now, there are a few persons who follow the craft.
To preserve the traditional craft, local authority facilitated and encouraged local people to maintain the sticky rice growing area, teach the craft to young generation and accelerate the product consumption not only at the local area but also other markets so as to bring the traditional Com to more customers.
