The taste of Tet green rice

Mr. Nguyen Can in Quarter 5, Phuoc Hoi Ward, La Gi Town has been involved in the traditional rice cake making profession for more than 50 years.

For Vietnamese people, cakes and jams are indispensable during the traditional New Year holidays of the nation. In the chilly weather of the last days of the year, the fragrant smell of ginger jam, sticky rice jam, banh in, banh com… makes the joyful and exciting atmosphere to welcome the new year even warmer and full of flavor.

It can be said that the market is increasingly appearing with many rich and diverse types of cakes and jams, but traditional green rice cakes still have a special place in the hearts of the people of La Gi town in particular and the whole country in general, especially for those who are far from home, currently living abroad, green rice cakes are like a dish that leaves a strong "imprint" that is hard to forget for those who have enjoyed them, that is why only when having green rice cakes can we fully feel the passionate flavor of the traditional New Year of the nation.

Mr. Nguyen Can excitedly shared: “Every December, my family of 5 people has to be busy from morning to night making green rice cakes. Within 1 month, our family makes about 5,000 boxes of green rice cakes. Not only serving the domestic market, our family's green rice cakes are also sent abroad so that children far from home can enjoy the rich traditional flavor of their homeland's green rice cakes.”

Green rice cake is always present and indispensable during Tet holiday. This is clearly demonstrated that no matter what era, the traditional green rice cake is still indispensable to worship grandparents, ancestors or to entertain friends and guests every time Tet comes and spring comes. And making green rice cake completely by hand like Mr. Nguyen Can's family makes the spring days even more meaningful. Witnessing the making of green rice cake with our own eyes, we have the feeling that the Tet atmosphere has gradually permeated every house and street, making people's hearts strangely excited!

To make delicious green rice cake completely by hand is not easy, it requires the maker to comply with and ensure the time of many stages... From choosing ingredients, boiling sugar to making cakes, wrapping cakes...

According to Mr. Nguyen Can, to make delicious green rice cake, the first thing is to choose the ingredients very carefully, the first thing is to choose really good glutinous rice. The second secret is the sugar cooking step. White sugar is boiled over low heat, cooked with pineapple and ginger for a long time, so that anyone standing nearby can feel the sweet, irresistible aroma. The small green rice cake course costs 10,000 VND, the middle cake course costs 25,000 VND and the large green rice cake course costs 30,000 VND.

It can be said that the traditional green rice cake is a rustic, simple cake but full of spring flavor. Without green rice cake, spring would lose its "soul" of tradition. Looking at the blazing fires, the nimble hands wrapping green rice cakes, the laughter and chatter of the green rice cake makers, one can clearly feel that spring is very close. And above all, the hearts of those who love the job are still diligently creating delicious green rice cakes, full of spring flavor, for everyone, every family to enjoy.

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