Home Cuisine Do Luong rice paper: The rich taste of Luong’s hometown

Do Luong rice paper: The rich taste of Luong’s hometown

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‘I’m going to miss Thanh Chuong. Do Luong mussel rice cake is fragrant’… That verse has been in the hearts of the people of Nghe for many generations. Having the opportunity to go down the Lam River, set foot in the land of Luong, Do Luong, surely everyone wants to once enjoy Banh Da, a famous specialty that has been around for hundreds of years here.

Legend has it that the profession of making rice paper in Luong, Do Luong, Nghe An provinces has been passed down through generations in the village. Up to now, the age of the craft village is more than 300 years. Previously, Vinh Duc craft village was located in Lien Son commune, until 1989, Lien Son commune merged with Do Luong town. In 2005, the People’s Committee of Nghe An province recognized this place as Vinh Duc rice paper production village. The oldest person making rice paper here also does not know when the origin of this craft village was. They only remember that they were handed down by their grandparents and parents how to make the best rice paper. To make a delicious rice cake must go through many stages. The feat from selecting raw materials to processing and manufacturing. Raw materials usually use rice with little plasticity, commonly used rice is Khang Dan 18, plain rice to coat cakes. After soaking the rice for one night, the rice is cleaned and the grit is then ground into a powder, mixed with black sesame. To increase the delicious taste, people add pepper, crushed garlic, mixed with rice flour. This is also the secret to making the unique taste of Do Luong rice paper. The flour mixture, after being mixed well, will be coated with a thin layer on a griddle made of cloth, on a pot of boiling water. When the rice paper is cooked, it is gently spread on the cork grid to cool before drying. When drying the cake, about every 2 hours, the cake will be turned over once to dry evenly. If it is very sunny, you have to watch the cake, turn the cake often because it is too sunny, the cake will be hard and curved, not good looking and difficult to bake. After drying, the rice cakes will be baked on a hot coal stove or fried in oil. Bake so that the cake expands evenly, bringing up the strong aroma of pepper and garlic, the fleshy taste of rice flour, and black sesame. In 2017, Do Luong Banh Da was granted an intellectual property certificate. Currently, Vinh Duc craft village has more than 100 households producing rice paper all year round. Every house is busy, red with fire. The fragrant smoke from the baking spread over a large area. Although the rice paper is small, it has become an unforgettable home taste for many people in Nghe An.