Phu Long rice paper village is famous far and wide.

VIDEO : Phu Long rice paper village

Walking around the craft village in the early morning, it is not difficult to see the image of white rice paper drying yards stretching out in front of the porch. The smell of new rice and the smell of kitchen smoke mixed with the early morning sunlight create a picture of a peaceful and vibrant countryside.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet (living in Phu Thinh quarter, Phu Long town) is a member of a family with 3 generations of rice paper making. Ms. Tuyet was taught the craft by her parents at the age of 20, and has been in the kitchen for over 55 years now. Every day, from 2-3 am, she wakes up to grind flour and fan the fire to make rice paper. This job is hard, but thanks to it, her family has a stable life.

According to experienced rice paper makers in Phu Long, to make a delicious rice paper, it must go through many elaborate steps and requires skill. The rice is carefully selected, usually fragrant sticky rice, then soaked for 6 to 8 hours, ground into powder. The powder mixture is spread evenly on a stretched cloth, placed on the mouth of a pot of boiling water. During the process of spreading the rice paper, the fire from the rice husk must be kept at a stable temperature, not too young to make the rice paper hard, nor too old to make the rice paper spoiled. After the rice paper is cooked, it is gently lifted with a bamboo stick and placed on a drying rack under the sun.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Lap, a rice paper maker in Phu Long, shared his secret: “In addition to having to carefully choose the ingredients, the baker must be skillful to produce a round cake with the right thickness. Especially, when drying the cake, you have to watch the sun. Usually, if the sun is strong, you only need to dry it for 5-10 minutes before bringing it inside the house. Phu Long rice paper is famous for its natural rice flavor, when grilled it is crispy, the aroma spreads throughout the whole area.”

Traditional rice paper making in Phu Long

The special thing about Phu Long rice paper is its rustic flavor, without any impurities. The products are diverse, from dipped rice paper, sesame rice paper to grilled rice paper, serving many different purposes. Thanks to maintaining the traditional quality, Phu Long rice paper is increasingly popular, not only in the province but also appearing in other provinces and cities across the country.

Faced with the increasing demand of the market, many households have boldly invested in additional machinery to support flour milling and packaging. However, the main stages are still done manually to maintain the quality of the product. In addition, the locality is also gradually supporting brand building, improving packaging, labels and connecting e-commerce platforms. With its unique features, in 2003, the People's Committee of Binh Thuan province recognized Phu Long rice paper craft village, with dozens of households participating in production and creating regular jobs for hundreds of workers.

Not just a simple rustic dish, Phu Long rice paper is also the crystallization of the diligence, creativity and love for the profession of the people of Binh Thuan. In the midst of modern life, batches of golden rice paper under the sun are still created every day by the hands of skilled workers, contributing to preserving the soul of the countryside and affirming the value of traditional Vietnamese craft villages.

NGUYEN TIEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/lang-nghe-banh-trang-phu-long-nuc-tieng-gan-xa-post796442.html