Through the Facebook page selling rice paper, we asked around and found the house of Mrs. Huynh Thi Thieu, Tan Loi B hamlet, Ta An Khuong Nam commune, who has maintained the traditional rice paper making profession for nearly 50 years.

Every morning, Ms. Huynh Thi Thieu and her son pound rice paper with a wooden pestle and stone mortar.

Ms. Thieu recounted: "When I was a young girl, my mother taught me how to make cakes, including rice cakes, and then sell them at the market. After I started my own family, I still maintain this profession to this day."

To produce new, delicious cakes, Mrs. Thieu only kneads according to customers' orders. Every evening, Mrs. Thieu soaks the sticky rice, and at 3-4 am, she and her daughter-in-law stay up to grind the flour, knead the dough until it is dry, then take the dough balls to boil, take them out to drain. When the dough is still warm, put them in a stone mortar and knead them. Her son, who is strong, uses a pestle to knead them. Mrs. Thieu kneads and mixes the flour while adding caramelized sugar water, so that the cake has a moderate sweetness, until it is not too dry or too sticky, then rolls the cake.

From round dough balls like sweet rice balls, with her quick, familiar hands, in just a moment Mrs. Thieu rolled them into thin, round, fragrant rice cakes, then quickly arranged them evenly on a bamboo mat, and put them on a drying rack, in time to catch the early morning sun. The more the cakes are exposed to the sun, the more plump and shiny the surface of the cakes becomes, and when baked, the more puffy they become...

According to Mrs. Thieu, in the past when she was still farming, every time Tet came, the sticky rice was just ripe in the field, harvested, rubbed, and soaked to make rice paper, which had a very special flavor. Now, although the flavor is not as good as before, she tries to buy delicious sticky rice and follow the recipe passed down by her grandparents to make delicious rice paper, helping everyone feel the familiar flavor, especially during Tet.

"Currently, I also pass on the profession to my children and grandchildren with the desire to maintain the traditional profession and also contribute to earning more income to cover living expenses. Every day, I make 200-500 cakes, earning 150,000-250,000 VND," Ms. Thieu added.

The harsh sunlight dries the rice paper to achieve the best quality, helping the rice paper to be shiny and puffy when baked.

Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, Tan Duc A hamlet, Tan Duc commune, Dam Doi district, has also "continued the family's profession" of making rice paper for over 30 years.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet and his family have maintained the rice paper making profession for over 30 years.

Mr. Viet said that in addition to making squares, for many years, the rice paper business has brought a significant income to his family, especially during Tet when the amount of rice paper increases by two or three times compared to normal days. However, this year due to the epidemic, the family only accepts orders for rice paper based on demand.

According to rice paper makers in Dam Doi district, in order to create an outlet for rice paper, in recent times, in addition to referrals from acquaintances and women's association members, people have also proactively sought outlets by posting sales on websites such as Zalo, Facebook, etc. Thanks to that, many people know about and order rice paper, helping people maintain their profession.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Mau, Vice President of the Women's Union of Dam Doi district, said: "Currently, the profession of making shrimp crackers is quite popular among members in the district. The traditional profession of making rice crackers is quite hard, having to wake up at 2-3 am to cook the sticky rice, make the crackers in time for the morning sun and work seasonally, so the number of households maintaining the profession is not much, only about 3-4 households. In the coming time, the association will have specific activities, influencing members to preserve and develop the profession of making rice crackers along with some other traditional professions, combining with introducing output, helping women increase their income, stabilize their lives, contributing to strengthening the sisterhood in the association"./.

Loan Phuong

Source: https://baocamau.vn/banh-phong-nep-don-tet-a2183.html