Rustic dishes, rich in the flavor of the countryside

QTO - Ba Don - the land by the gentle Gianh River, is not only famous for its long-standing cultural traditions and peaceful scenery, but also for its own brand thanks to its rich and unique rustic culinary treasure. The cuisine here is not fussy or stylized, but contains a whole world of nostalgia because each dish is crystallized from the skillful hands of gentle, graceful, diligent and affectionate women. Rustic dishes such as rice paper, rice cakes, pancakes, porridge... all carry the soul of a Lao wind and white sand countryside. Among those myriad flavors, there is a simple dish that makes the people of Ba Don proud, which is sticky rice with ram.

For Ba Don people, ram sticky rice is a familiar name, a charming culinary whole, both rustic and very attractive. The uniqueness of this dish lies not only in the interesting combination of the sticky aroma of sticky rice and the crispy, rich flavor of ram, but also in the way the people here create it - rustic, meticulous and full of love.

To have delicious sticky rice, you must choose fragrant, plump white sticky rice, soak it in warm water overnight, then dry it in a pot or steamer. When the sticky rice is just cooked, stir it well to avoid clumping, then wrap it tightly in a towel to keep it hot. That sticky rice does not need any fat or beans, no fancy colors, just simply fragrant sticky rice, you can eat it forever without getting bored. The special thing is that Ba Don people are very good at eating it. That is, sticky rice must be eaten with spring rolls!

Ram - Northerners often call it spring rolls, is a popular dish of Central people, but Ba Don ram is unmistakable. The ram is made very elaborately but still retains its rustic everyday feel. The pork is selected from the shoulder or rump, minced finely. Tourists who come here and enjoy Ba Don ram will remember it forever.

Because people who specialize in making spring rolls often use the manual chopping method rather than grinding. Minced meat has a chewy, sweet taste, while ground meat is often soft and mushy, not as delicious. After mincing, mix the meat with spices: shallots, pepper, seasoning powder, marinate for about 15 minutes, then roll it in thin rice paper, which is hand-rolled, both flexible and chewy, when fried it has a golden crispy texture without falling apart.

Ram sticky rice - a rustic and attractive dish - Photo: T.D

In the past, only on death anniversaries and Tet did we have ram sticky rice. Cho Don also sold ram sticky rice, but occasionally my mother would give me a few cents to buy a package of ram sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves, which I still remember to this day. Children loved the fragrant, sticky taste of the sticky rice and the fatty, crispy taste of the ram; adults preferred the rich, simple taste; and visitors from all over the world came to the market to eat Ba Don ram sticky rice as a specialty. Nowadays, in front of many school gates, people also sell ram sticky rice, and I also joined the children to enjoy it, but nowhere else is the ram sticky rice as rich as in Ba Don.

Ba Don people often eat breakfast in a very rustic way. If you want to eat porridge with spring rolls, go to a restaurant. The sizzling sound of spring rolls fills the air. When the spring rolls are golden and crispy, the restaurant owner skillfully takes them out to drain the grease. The golden spring rolls, about the length of a thumb, are crispy on the outside, but still retain the soft sweetness of the meat inside. That is the appeal of spring rolls. If you like sticky rice with spring rolls, go to a roadside stall or sidewalk stall. There are rice rolls, pancakes, rice paper, wet rice cakes, and even sticky rice with spring rolls.

Eating sticky rice with ram also requires knowing how to be delicious, take a small handful of sticky rice, sandwich the ram and bring it to your mouth, eat each small piece to enjoy the sticky and fragrant taste of sticky rice mixed with the fatty, crispy and rich taste of ram. Dip the sticky rice with peanut salt or eat it with ram depending on your preference. Some people take shrimp crackers, sandwich the sticky rice with ram; some people like to hold it by hand, roll it into a ball, roll the ram and dip it in fish sauce with lemon, garlic and chili, a spicy and rich dipping sauce of the Central region. Either way, sticky rice with ram is still a specialty of Ba Don land that many people love.

Nowadays, ram sticky rice has gone beyond the framework of offerings on death anniversaries and Tet holidays, to appear solemnly and intimately on occasions such as weddings, housewarmings, and funerals. Not only stopping at family meals, many restaurants and eateries also put ram sticky rice on the menu as a typical dish, preferred by diners from near and far. Ram sticky rice is not simply a dish, but also carries within it a profound spiritual value, a link between the present and the past, between people and their homeland.

In the culinary picture of Ba Don, ram sticky rice is simple but has its own soul. The cuisine here is not ostentatious, not noisy, but the simple, rustic look creates a quiet charm that is remembered and carried with you. That simple but rich ram sticky rice dish is an indispensable piece, contributing to the rich culinary identity of Ba Don, closely associated with daily life.

Xoi ram - a simple dish and memory that penetrates deep into the heart. It is a familiar flavor that has been attached for many years. It is also a rustic, sincere and enduring sentiment like the hard-working people of Ba Don, rustic but full of the flavor of the countryside.

Tran Dinh

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/du-lich/202511/mon-an-dan-da-dam-da-huong-vi-tinh-que-9086f7d/