Ka Ot Bamboo Rice

While wandering through the border region of Tan Chau district, Tay Ninh province, I happened to pass by a small hamlet inhabited by the Khmer community in Ka Ot hamlet, Tan Dong commune. I didn't know what the occasion was, but everyone was gathered there in a lively atmosphere. Stopping to listen in, I learned that it was the Kathyna Robe Offering ceremony of the local Buddhist community.

While wandering around and looking around, I saw a man sitting by a charcoal stove. Around the stove were neatly arranged bamboo tubes. "What is this, sir? Is this sticky rice cooked in bamboo?" I asked. "Yes, madam, I'm making it for my children to eat when they come home," Mr. Sa Vuon (67 years old) replied with a smile.

Mr. Sa Vuon has 12 children. Most of them have their own families and live separately. During holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year), his children gather here. From the evening before, he and his wife prepare the ingredients to make sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes, waiting for their children to come home and enjoy the meal together.

Although called "rice," the ingredients for sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes are not regular rice, but glutinous rice, and the tools used, of course, are bamboo tubes. There's plenty of bamboo in the backyard, so whenever Mr. Sa Vuon makes this dish, he cuts down a bamboo stalk and saws it into sections. He keeps one end of each section with a knot, and puts the glutinous rice in the other end.

After washing the glutinous rice thoroughly, soak it overnight. The next day, add soaked black beans, a little grated coconut, and a pinch of salt, mix well, and stuff it into bamboo tubes. "Don't fill it too full with rice; leave about a finger's width of space for water, like when you cook regular rice. Then use dried banana leaves as a stopper to seal it," Mr. Sa Vuon instructed.

Because of the water content, the bamboo tubes must be placed upright with the opening facing upwards when grilling. The bamboo tubes lean against the trunk of a banana tree placed next to the charcoal stove. "The banana tree has water, so it won't burn when the fire is big," Mr. Sa Vuon explained.

Mr. Sa Vuon grilled sticky rice in bamboo tubes, waiting for his children and grandchildren to come home to eat on the Kathyna Robe Offering Day.

The bamboo tubes are continuously turned over the fire. Initially, it takes about two hours for the glutinous rice inside to be cooked.

To eat it, you first have to peel off the outer layer of the bamboo like you would peel sugarcane. The bamboo tubes, initially black and smoky, now become smooth and white. If you want to eat it hot right away, you can peel off the inner layer of the bamboo.

From the mouth of the bamboo tube, Mr. Sa Vuon gently peeled off the inner layer of bamboo with his hands. "You have to keep the thin, silky layer of bamboo clinging to the rice like this. That's how it tastes best," Mr. Sa Vuon said, after finishing peeling, and broke off a piece of rice to give to me. The translucent bamboo silk clung to the sticky rice grains mixed with black beans and coconut. I tried it. Wow, what a strange aroma! It turned out to be the blended fragrance of bamboo, sticky rice, and the rich, creamy taste of toasted coconut. Taking a bite, I was even more surprised. The bamboo-cooked rice was warm, not too sticky like regular sticky rice, nor too crumbly like white rice; each grain was delicious. But what I liked most was biting into the silk-like layer surrounding the rice—the crunchy, chewy texture was very enjoyable.

After being treated to a hearty meal, Mr. Sa Vuon even gave me a tube of rice to take home so everyone could try it – how kind and thoughtful!

Source: https://nld.com.vn/diem-den-hap-dan/com-lam-ka-ot-20201029204235556.htm