Gifts made from green rice have the typical flavor of Hanoi Autumn

When the cool breezes begin to creep through every street, it is also the time when Hanoi enters Autumn - the season of fragrant green rice.

Com - a rustic gift but carries within it the quintessence of the land and culture of Trang An people. Not just a snack, Com is also the main ingredient to create many typical and attractive dishes, demonstrating the talent and sophistication of Hanoi cuisine .

1. What is Hanoi green rice made from?

Com is a Hanoi delicacy made from fragrant young sticky rice. Yellow flower sticky rice is the type chosen to make the com taste the most delicious. In addition, many other types of sticky rice can be chosen such as fragrant sticky rice, Luong Phuong sticky rice, flower sticky rice...

Each sticky rice grain has a refreshing, fragrant taste of colostrum and needs to go through many meticulous processing steps to create a batch of standard rice. After roasting, the sticky rice will be pounded, sifted to remove all the husks and then the rice will be glued (with rice leaf water).

Fresh Hanoi green rice has a characteristic green color mixed with yellow, which is the color of young rice leaves that dye the rice grains.

The green rice is wrapped in lotus leaves on the outside, creating a light fragrance, blending the fragrant aroma of rice grains with the faint scent of lotus leaves.

2. How many types of Hanoi green rice are there?

There are many types of green rice, each type of green rice will have a suitable way of eating and preparing.

If classified by the shape of the rice grains in the same batch, rice is divided into 3 types: Tamarind leaf rice, poured rice and young rice. For gourmets, Tamarind leaf rice is the best type of rice, this is the type of rice that is flat and thin like tamarind leaves, often flying out with the other husks. This type of rice is very rare and rare but very soft, delicious and chewy.

The second most popular and delicious type is Com Dung (rice cake), which is the young sticky rice grains that clump together after being pounded. The rice left in the mortar is called Com Non (young rice cake) - the type of rice commonly sold in markets.

If divided by time, green rice is divided into 3 types:

- Early season green rice: Soft, chewy and thin grains, suitable for vegetarians or eaten with bananas. This type of green rice is made from early season young sticky rice.

- Mid-season green rice: Often used to make green rice sausage.

- Late season green rice: The grains are quite thick and large, a bit hard to eat. This type of green rice is suitable for making green rice sticky rice or cooking sweet soup.

The best time to enjoy young rice is in the fall, which lasts about 3 months, starting from the 1st of the 7th lunar month and ending in the 10th lunar month. The sweetness, softness, and natural green color of young rice depends on the beginning, middle, and end of the season.

Many diners often enjoy the first-season green rice because of its distinct milky rice flavor, and the young and soft green rice. On the contrary, many people prefer the last-season green rice because the grains are thicker, fuller and more fragrant because the rice is quite ripe.

Com is scented with sticky rice, pandan leaves, old lotus leaves and the scent of the countryside in each grain of rice. Giving Com from Hanoi is like sharing the gentle beauty of Hanoi's autumn.

3. Some delicious dishes from Hanoi green rice

Below is a summary of outstanding dishes made from green rice, not to be missed when mentioning Hanoi cuisine in the fall:

Com sausage

Com Cha is a specialty dish that has left a deep impression on the hearts of many food lovers. This dish is made from a delicate combination of com, lean meat, meatballs (raw pork) and spices, creating an unforgettable blend of flavors. However, although the basic ingredients are the same, the quality and flavor of Com Cha is not the same everywhere. Connoisseurs can guess the deliciousness of the dish just by looking at the color of the Cha.

When fried golden brown, the cốm sausage gives off an attractive aroma, the outer layer is crispy but not too greasy, making the eater not feel bored even after enjoying it many times. This dish is best when served hot, with a crispy shell covering the soft, sticky filling inside. Accompanied by soy sauce or chili sauce, cốm sausage becomes an ideal, attractive snack.

In addition to being enjoyed as a light snack, cốm sausage also appears in traditional vermicelli with fermented shrimp paste trays, sandwiched in bread or served as part of daily meals.

Green rice cake

Com cake is a traditional gift with a strong cultural identity and often appears in Vietnamese engagement ceremonies. Especially, on the occasion of Mid-Autumn Festival, Com cake becomes a symbol of preciousness, chosen as a gift, a gift for the people of the capital to express their sincere feelings to family, friends and tourists from all over.

The small, cute cakes stand out with their soft, flexible crust and delicate filling, a combination of fragrant green beans and chewy shredded coconut, creating a flavor that diners cannot help but love.

In the atmosphere of family reunion, with a cup of hot tea sipped with green rice cake, the conversation in the chilly autumn weather of Hanoi becomes more rich and meaningful.

Banana with green rice flakes

Although it is impossible to determine exactly when Hanoians began to enjoy bananas dipped in green rice flakes, no one can deny the interesting combination of these two dishes. This combination is not only about taste but also carries the culture and tradition of the capital.

The type of banana often chosen to eat with green rice is the banana with yellow skin and sweet and firm flesh. This is the ideal choice because the banana has good adhesion, making it easy to dip green rice without worrying about the green rice grains falling off.

When putting the banana dipped in green rice to the mouth, the person enjoying it will clearly feel the harmony between the sweet, smooth taste of the banana flesh and the characteristic sticky aroma of green rice, thereby creating a symphony of flavors that are both rich and attractive, making it hard for people to resist.

Banana with green rice flakes is not simply a snack; it is also a part of cultural memory, reminding us of the simple and delicate beauty in the daily life of Hanoians past and present.

Fried green rice

Stir-fried green rice with coconut is an indispensable dish to complete the colorful picture of Autumn. The delicate blend of fragrant green rice and the rich taste of grated coconut brings an unforgettable experience to anyone who enjoys it.

The soft, rich green rice grains combined with sweet coconut rice create an elegant flavor that is both light and powerful enough to evoke unforgettable emotions.

Sticky rice with green rice

Sticky rice with green rice and lotus seeds is a unique dish, combining fresh green rice with ingredients such as lotus seeds, coconut and green beans, creating a sweet, cool, soft flavor that many people love.

The harmony between the natural green color of green rice and the shimmering yellow color of green beans and lotus seeds not only increases the aesthetics but also creates an extremely attractive appearance for the dish.

Not only appealing in appearance, this sticky rice dish also conquers the taste buds with its delicate, gentle layers of flavor, reminiscent of the gentleness of Autumn. All of these characteristics are encapsulated in a small, warm and elegant portion of sticky rice.

Green rice pudding

Che com de is a special and proud snack of the capital, standing out with its elegant and charming flavor. The characteristic of this dessert is the sweet aroma of com and its excellent cooling ability, bringing a comfortable and refreshing feeling to the person enjoying it. For that reason, che com de is often loved as a light and delicate dessert after every meal.

The process of making green rice pudding is not too complicated but requires skill in combining pandan leaf water with green rice to blend well.

To get a bowl of standard green rice pudding, the cook needs to constantly stir and carefully check the elasticity of the green rice throughout the cooking process. If the green rice is too hard or crushed, the pudding will lose its appeal and reduce the unique flavor that is the "soul" of this delicate dish.

Fried eggs with green rice

Fried eggs with green rice flakes is a simple, easy to make and extremely convenient dish, especially suitable for autumn meals. The combination of the characteristic aroma of green rice flakes and fried eggs creates an irresistible attraction, making the meal more delicious.

The eye-catching appearance with the golden yellow color of eggs combined with the fresh green color of green rice makes the dish attractive at first sight.

The rich flavor of fried eggs combined with the nutty taste of green rice not only impresses but can also make you "fall in love" from the first time you enjoy it.

Green rice ice cream

Com ice cream is a traditional dish, combining the characteristic flavor of com. With its natural sweetness combined with the aroma of young rice, com ice cream brings a culinary experience that is both sophisticated and familiar.

The ingredients usually include green rice, fresh milk, cream and sometimes a little grated coconut or green beans, creating richness in both flavor and color.

Mooncakes with green rice filling

The sticky rice mooncakes with green rice filling are a subtle blend of tradition and unique flavors. The smooth, soft white crust, dotted with the gentle scent of grapefruit flower, fully stimulates the senses of diners. When tasting, the combination of the chewy texture of sticky rice and the fresh green rice filling, along with the gentle sweetness of grated coconut, creates a complete culinary experience. Each piece of cake melts on the tip of the tongue, bringing a feeling of both richness and lightness.

To add more flavor, a cup of hot tea with pure aroma will be the perfect choice to accompany this cake, opening up a space for gentle and intimate enjoyment. Moments of gathering with family, sipping tea and chatting happily will make the Mid-Autumn Festival more special.

The simple yet creative cake recipe we present will be the ideal addition, bringing meaning and joy to the family during this traditional holiday season.

Green rice cake

Banh xu xe com, an interesting variation of the traditional Vietnamese cake, is an indispensable symbol in folk culinary culture, especially in wedding ceremonies from the past to the present. This is not only a cake that symbolizes harmony and luck, but also a quintessence in the art of traditional cake making.

The unique point lies in the use of green rice to create the cake, bringing a new and attractive flavor. The cake crust is skillfully processed to create a crispy, cool feeling, embracing the filling combining fragrant green rice and fatty coconut. This combination makes the cake special, easily leaving a deep impression in the hearts of those who enjoy it.

Banh xu xe is not only a food but also a culinary experience. To fully appreciate the deliciousness of this rustic dish, people often enjoy it slowly, accompanied by a cup of fragrant tea. It is the combination of the sweetness of the cake and the pure aroma of tea that turns eating banh xu xe into a relaxing journey full of Vietnamese culture./.