Rice porridge with sesame seeds, rice balls – Traditional dishes of the people of Binh Nguyen.

When talking about the cuisine of Phu Tho with its unique and delicious dishes, one cannot fail to mention chao se and banh hon, specialties of Binh Nguyen commune (mainly in Huong Canh town, formerly Binh Xuyen district). This rustic dish is made from rice flour for the crust, combined with a filling of meat, wood ear mushrooms, scallions, etc., making it an unforgettable experience for anyone who has tasted it.

Rice porridge with sesame seeds, rice balls – Traditional dishes of the people of Binh Nguyen.

Binh Nguyen commune was established by merging four administrative units: Huong Canh town; and the communes of Tam Hop, Quat Luu, and Son Loi. Investigating the origins of the "chao se" and "banh hon" dishes in Binh Nguyen, it is known that these traditional dishes appeared in the late 18th century.

According to the elders, the continuous wars at that time completely isolated Huong Canh village, and food supplies were gradually running out. From then on, the rice cake and rice porridge dishes were created as famine relief, helping the villagers overcome those difficult times.

The filling of the rice dumplings is made from minced pork, scallions, and wood ear mushrooms.

At that time, the pastry shells were made thin, large, and filled with a mixture of fresh onions or wood ear mushrooms with salt to give the feeling of eating a lot. Because they were shaped into round, hollow balls, they were called "ball-shaped cakes."

Along with the rice flour dumplings, the people of Huong Canh village have created a type of porridge called "chao se" (a type of rice porridge) to accompany them. A portion of the dough for the rice flour dumplings is kneaded thoroughly until it reaches a certain level of elasticity and smoothness. Each pliable ball of dough is placed between the palms of the hands, pressed firmly, and rolled evenly to form thin strands of dough that continuously flow down into a pot of boiling water, hence the name "chao se" (literally "se porridge"). The hands of the person rolling the dough must move continuously to prevent the strands from tangling together.

Once the dough is formed and added to the pot, the cook continues to simmer it over low heat, stirring constantly until the rice noodles float to the surface, indicating the porridge is evenly cooked. When eating, the noodles are added to the porridge, and the flavors of the two foods blend together, creating a delicious combination. With this creative method, the villagers managed to survive through difficult times of hardship and famine.

To have hot, freshly made rice balls ready to sell to people early in the morning, the bakers have to wake up at 2-3 a.m. to prepare the ingredients and complete the steps of shaping and steaming the rice balls.

Nowadays, the rice balls in Binh Nguyen are made much smaller but still retain the traditional method. Especially when prepared, the filling includes minced pork combined with scallions and wood ear mushrooms, creating an irresistible and unforgettable flavor.

Rice cakes and rice porridge are popular breakfast choices for many families.

As the owner of a famous shop selling rice cakes and rice porridge in Hamlet 1, Binh Nguyen Commune, Ms. Tran Thi Kim Cuc has been involved in this traditional craft for over 10 years. She said: "Since I was little, whenever there was a feast at home, I would watch my grandmother and mother make rice cakes and rice porridge to serve guests. I also tried making the cakes myself, waiting for them to cook so my mother could let me try them."

Her passion for baking, nurtured in her mind, intensified as she grew older, fueling her desire to preserve the flavors of her hometown's traditional dishes. Therefore, she abandoned her animal feed business – a profession that provided a decent income for her family – to pursue her passion for making rice cakes and rice porridge.

According to Ms. Cúc, choosing the right rice is crucial for making delicious rice balls. The rice used for rice balls and rice porridge must be high-quality, leftover rice from the previous harvest to reduce stickiness. The experience shows that after thoroughly washing and draining the rice, it is ground into a fine powder and then steamed. Once the powder rises and becomes fluffy, it is mixed thoroughly until it is pliable, non-sticky, and can be stretched without breaking – only then is it considered ready.

Ms. Tran Thi Kim Cuc's family-run rice cake production facility now offers frozen rice cakes to cater to customers from all regions.

When she first started her business, the market was small and she lacked experience and skills in accessing social media, so Ms. Cúc only made 7-10 kg of flour per day. Due to the superior flavor of her rice balls and rice porridge, word spread, and customers recommended her to each other, so the quantity of products she made increased every day.

To date, she makes 40-50kg of dough every day, and on peak days, she makes over 100kg of dough to supply enough cakes for restaurants, weddings, parties, etc. To have hot, freshly made rice cakes every morning, she has to wake up at 2 am every day to prepare the filling and mobilize workers to shape and steam the cakes.

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Every morning, her business sells hundreds of boxes of rice cakes and rice porridge. According to preliminary calculations, the monthly revenue from making rice cakes and rice porridge for Ms. Cúc's family reaches 70-80 million VND, with a profit of 25-30 million VND after deducting expenses. At the same time, it creates jobs for 4-5 local workers with an income of 4-5 million VND per person per month. Currently, Ms. Cúc's rice cake and rice porridge business has expanded to sales points in Vĩnh Yên ward, Vĩnh Phúc district, and Tam Đảo commune.

Currently, her family's business is the only establishment in the former Huong Canh area producing frozen rice balls to serve the needs of people in provinces and cities nationwide. These frozen rice balls can be stored in the freezer for a month. When needed, simply take them out of the freezer and steam them for 20-30 minutes. Even when eaten hot, they retain their flavor as if they were freshly made. The rice balls can be eaten on their own, dipped in sweet and sour garlic chili fish sauce, or enjoyed with porridge for an even more unique and unforgettable taste.

As life becomes more developed, despite the many new and attractive dishes available, rice cakes and rice porridge remain traditional local treats favored by people not only in Binh Nguyen but also in many neighboring areas for breakfast. The rich and delicious flavor of Huong Canh rice cakes is also appreciated by people in other provinces and cities. With a wide-open market, the rice cake and rice porridge making profession is developing rapidly, attracting many participants, especially women during their leisure time.

Comrade Tran Tien Giang, Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Binh Nguyen commune, said: The commune currently has 38 villages, but only 18 villages belong to the former Huong Canh town, with more than 70 households engaged in making banh hon (a type of Vietnamese cake) and chao se (a type of Vietnamese porridge). On average, these households supply thousands of boxes of cakes and cups of porridge to the market every day.

This traditional dish is now not only served to local people but has also been introduced to markets in many communes and wards in the province and in Hanoi , Hung Yen... and is even loved by customers as far away as Ho Chi Minh City, thus contributing positively to creating jobs, increasing income for hundreds of workers, and contributing to the socio-economic development of the locality.

In order to preserve the essence of local cuisine , bring traditional dishes to all regions, and contribute to improving the income and living standards of the people, Binh Nguyen commune is continuing to create conditions and regularly encourage households engaged in the craft to increase investment in modern machinery, ensure food safety and hygiene, and improve product quality so that the local folk dishes can continue to reach far and wide.

Hoang Nga - Duong Chung

Source: https://baophutho.vn/chao-se-banh-hon--mon-an-dan-da-cua-nguoi-binh-nguyen-239910.htm