Rich and flavorful Thuy Phuong sticky rice paste

Amidst the changing market, the sticky rice paste from Thuy Phuong Clean Food Cooperative in Tien Lu commune continues to captivate consumers with its rich, fragrant, and authentic flavor. Standardizing the production process while respecting traditional recipes has helped the product achieve OCOP 3-star certification, opening up a new direction in preserving traditional culinary culture and creating sustainable livelihoods for local people.

Ms. Khuong Thi Ly, Director of Thuy Phuong Clean Food Cooperative, inspects the quality of the fermented glutinous rice paste in jars during the natural fermentation process.

To create the characteristic golden, sweet, and fragrant soy sauce, the production process of Thuy Phuong Clean Food Cooperative requires meticulousness and strict adherence to standards right from the initial stages. Ms. Khuong Thi Ly, Director of the Cooperative, shared: "For soy sauce making, the main ingredient is the soul that determines more than half the success or failure of a batch of molded rice. Previously, we often used sticky rice or Thai glutinous rice, but now we have completely switched to Japanese rice. This type of rice has a fluffy, chewy texture inside and doesn't stick together on the outside. Thanks to this, when making molded rice, the grains achieve perfect fluffiness and do not clump together at all."

The groundbreaking change in the selection of Japanese rice allows for a more porous grain structure, creating optimal conditions for beneficial yeast spores to develop evenly from the inside out. Besides rice, soybeans are also selected from clean raw material areas; the grains must be plump, uniform, and free from pests. They are then roasted to perfection using a special technique to bring out a pure aroma without being burnt.

After selecting the raw materials, the process of cultivating and making the mold is considered the most challenging and meticulous, requiring the utmost experience and finesse from the craftsman. The completely natural mold fermentation process is highly dependent on the weather, forcing the craftsman to constantly monitor changes in temperature and humidity hour by hour. The craftsman must stir the mold evenly and at the right time to ensure that each grain of rice absorbs enough oxygen, ferments uniformly, and transforms into the perfect yellow mold color.

The mold-making process is the key factor determining the overall quality of the finished soy sauce. If the mold is immature or contaminated with bacteria, the soy sauce will become sour, discolored, and spoil quickly; conversely, a properly molded batch, reaching perfect biological maturity, will stimulate the natural saccharification process to occur thoroughly, giving the soy sauce a subtly sweet taste from the starch without the need for any artificial sweeteners.

Relying solely on manual methods makes it difficult to ensure uniformity in large-scale production. Therefore, Thuy Phuong Clean Food Cooperative has proactively invested in modern machinery to standardize its processes. Advanced equipment such as industrial steam ovens for molding rice and automatic bean roasting machines have been put into operation. This fusion of technology and traditional craftsmanship not only frees up labor and increases productivity but also ensures strict control over food safety and hygiene standards.

The sweet and rich flavor of Thuy Phuong sticky rice sauce has won over a large number of customers both within and outside the province.

The systematic investment has yielded positive results, with Thuy Phuong sticky rice soy sauce achieving OCOP 3-star certification in 2019. This crucial "passport" has helped the brand quickly establish its reputation, maintain a stable production volume of approximately 2,500 liters per month, and contribute significantly to the cooperative's annual revenue of nearly 700 million VND. Simultaneously, the product is no longer confined to the traditional market within the province, but has reached and gained the trust of a segment of customers in many neighboring provinces and cities.

Nevertheless, Thuy Phuong's journey to breakthrough success still faces certain bottlenecks. The actual output of the product still depends mainly on the local distribution network within the province, while the distribution channel outside the province largely consists of small-scale wholesalers. This obstacle stems from the cooperative's lack of capital for expanding production scale, its limited trade promotion capacity, and the lack of synchronized mechanisms to support access to larger markets.

Ms. Khuong Thi Ly further shared: "To further develop Thuy Phuong sticky rice paste products in particular and local agricultural products in general, the cooperative hopes that the government and relevant agencies will continue to pay attention and support with capital and specialized machinery such as automatic filling machines. At the same time, we hope they will create conditions for the cooperative to participate in trade promotion fairs, and strengthen publicity and promotion so that the brand can reach a wider range of customers."

In the coming period, in addition to continuing to maintain and improve the quality of its core product, Thuy Phuong sticky rice paste, the Thuy Phuong Clean Food Cooperative will promote the development of its strong product ecosystem, including Thuy Phuong premium vinegar, traditional fish sauce, and specialty fermented meat and fish. This proactive innovation and quality improvement promises to be a strategic step, helping to increase the value of the agricultural product chain, raise income for members, and enrich the map of high-quality specialties in the province.

Tran Tinh

Source: https://baophutho.vn/dam-da-huong-vi-tuong-nep-nbsp-thuy-nbsp-phuong-255278.htm