New green rice season in Hop Thanh

On the weekend, the phone rang. On the other end of the line, my colleague's voice excitedly said: "Are you going to Hop Thanh? People are making green rice cakes, very busy!". I was so busy with work that I suddenly remembered that it was mid-October, the autumn weather was cool, and it was also the season when the Tay and Giay people in Hop Thanh were busy making green rice cakes to celebrate the New Year - "Khâu mau". So, without thinking much, I quickly grabbed my camera and went to Hop Thanh.

From Lao Cai ward to the center of Hop Thanh commune is only more than ten kilometers. In this season, Hop Thanh fields are green, the wind carries the scent of the fields and the fragrant smell of the yellow sticky rice grains in the milky stage, the feeling is really pleasant. Temporarily leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the city, we blend into the beautiful nature of the peaceful countryside.

As the early morning sun melted away the autumn dew on the rice leaves, Mrs. Luong Thi Phieu, a Tay ethnic, from Cang 2 village, and the women in the village went to the fields to cut sticky rice to make a new batch of green rice to prepare for the Khau Mau festival. Mrs. Phieu said: Since I was little, every October, I followed my mother to the fields and saw the villagers bustling about cutting rice to make green rice.

No one knows since when, the people here have been cultivating the golden flower sticky rice variety, also known as Khau Cai - a delicious and fragrant sticky rice variety that is famous far and wide. Compared to other sticky rice varieties, Khau Cai is easily recognized by its distinctive aroma. In early autumn, if you have the opportunity to pass through the fields right when the rice is in bloom, you will feel the fragrant scent of the rice lingering on your clothes, and when you return home, the scent will still be strong.

Because they cultivate the most delicious sticky rice in the region, the Tay and Giay people here have been making green rice flakes for a long time. In October, when people finish harvesting the regular rice, the sticky rice flowers are full of grains and curled, entering the new green rice season. Since the age of 25, Mrs. Phieu has been taught by her mother how to make fragrant, sticky green rice flakes. "When going to the field to collect rice, you must choose young, plump rice flowers, check the last grains at the tip of the flower to see if they still have milk and can make delicious green rice flakes" - Mrs. Phieu shared.

Having delicious sticky rice grains, but making fragrant sticky rice grains is also a difficult process. In the past, when there were no rice threshing machines, the Tay people in Hop Thanh used rice bowls to "scrape" each ear of rice to separate the grains, then poured them into a basin of water to remove the broken grains, choosing the plump grains to make green rice. The most difficult step is roasting the rice grains in a cast iron pan. A good person making green rice must know how to regulate the heat so that the roasted sticky rice grains are not too hard, when pounded, they will be crushed, and not too young, when pounded, they will stick together. The roasted green rice grains are sticky enough, when pounded, they will peel off the shell, giving green, round, fragrant sticky rice grains.

Coming to Cang 1 and Cang 2 villages during the green rice season, we felt the bustling atmosphere. Right at the entrance of the village, more than a dozen women gathered at the rice mill to grind rice into green rice. Previously, roasted green rice had to be pounded in a mortar, which was very laborious, but now there is a rice mill to separate the husks quickly and cleanly. The hot green rice grains coming out of the mill are sifted and winnowed by the women to remove the remaining heads and husks.

With both hands deftly sifting the green rice, each movement was quick and flexible as if she was performing a scarf dance, Ms. La Thi Len in Cang 1 village said: Those who are skillful will sift the green rice cleanly, just need to hit the tray, wave their hands gently and the chaff will fly out. Those who are not used to it, sifting too hard will quickly tire and throw out both the green rice and chaff. It may look like that but the process of sifting green rice is very hard, having to sift many times for the green rice to be clean and not have chaff stuck in it. Every day, a woman who works hard from morning to night can make 3 to 4 batches of green rice, about 15 - 20 kg.

Com season in Hop Thanh is also the season when people in villages and hamlets are busy celebrating the new rice festival. According to traditional customs, on the day of Khau Mau festival, the Tay and Giay people here offer their ancestors and gods agricultural products produced by their families, including fragrant sticky rice grains and specialties made from com such as sticky rice, com cake, com sausage, etc. to thank heaven and earth and ancestors for blessing them with a bountiful harvest.

Coming to Hop Thanh commune in October, we were invited by the locals to enjoy new green rice. Indeed, the green rice made from yellow sticky rice not only has a jade green color but also has a completely different aroma from the other green rice I have tasted. The fragrant green rice grains, put in the mouth to chew, the more chewed the more fatty, after eating still has a sweet taste in the throat.

Taking us to visit families specializing in making green rice in Cang 1 and Cang 2 villages, Ms. Pham Thi Ben - Head of the Hop Thanh Green Rice Production Team excitedly said that in the past, people only made green rice to worship new rice and to eat, but now Hop Thanh green rice has been recognized as a 3-star OCOP product, becoming a popular commodity in the market.

The Hop Thanh Com Huong Production Group consists of 36 participating households, of which 12 households regularly produce green rice for sale. Hop Thanh green rice is sold at the market for 100,000 - 150,000 VND/kg, and is sold through the Production Group, packaged, branded, ensuring the production process and quality, always priced at 150,000 VND/kg. In 2024, people in the commune will produce 12 tons of green rice for sale on the market, earning about 1.8 billion VND.

Mr. Nong Van Van - Secretary of the Party Cell of Cang 1 village said: "Each kilogram of green rice sold costs the same as ten kilograms of paddy, so every family has switched to growing Khau Cai sticky rice to make green rice for sale. Last year, Hop Thanh field only had 30 hectares of sticky rice, but this year it has increased to 60 hectares. Due to the impact of storms, this year some areas of sticky rice have fallen, which has somewhat affected the green rice yield. In the past few days, people have been helping each other in the fields to build up clumps of fallen sticky rice, hoping for a full green rice season."

When we arrived at Hop Thanh commune, it was also the time when the commune was preparing to organize the Hop Thanh Com Festival in 2025. The festival not only recreated the New Rice Offering Ceremony of the Tay and Giay people here, but also had many attractive tourism promotion activities such as: Mountain climbing competition "Conquering Nam Ria waterfall - Road to the golden season"; display of identity booths and trade fair; traditional com pounding competition; culinary competition "Fragrance of the highlands"; demonstration of traditional ethnic costumes with the theme "Hop Thanh charm"; in addition, there were also folk games, ethnic sports , campfire night and solidarity xoe dance.

Ms. Nong Thi Ha - Head of the Department of Culture - Society of Hop Thanh commune shared: "Ethnic people of Hop Thanh commune have a long-standing profession of growing wet rice, associated with the profession of making green rice flakes. Originating from the custom of celebrating the Khau Mau New Year, since 2018, Hop Thanh commune has organized the "Huong Com Hop Thanh" festival with many attractive cultural, artistic and sports activities that have been well maintained over the years. Thereby, both preserving and honoring the profession of making green rice flakes, and at the same time attracting tourists to visit and experience".

Currently, Hop Thanh commune has only 500 hectares of rice, of which 100 hectares are sticky rice. In the coming time, the Party Committee and the commune government will continue to propagate to the people to preserve the precious sticky rice variety, increase productivity, output and improve the quality of products made from green rice, promote the brand, and bring the scent of Hop Thanh green rice further and further.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/mua-com-moi-o-hop-thanh-post884876.html