Tu Le commune, Van Chan district, Yen Bai province is famous for its characteristic variety of melted glutinous rice. Around the end of September and early October, the rice begins to ripen yellow on the terraced fields. In the village, the rhythmic sound of pestles is preparing to produce batches of famous Tu Le nuggets near and far.
The Thai ethnic people in Yen Bai still make nuggets in the traditional way. The rice is harvested early in the morning, then brought back to be soaked in cold water to remove the grains. The rice to make nuggets must be in the bending period, the head of the grain still has a little milk, the shell is slightly bluish and yellow, and the rice grains are not fully ripe.
The harvested rice must be processed on the same day. After removing the grains, the rice is roasted in a large pan. The fire must be maintained evenly for about 30 minutes until the seeds crack and wake up the aroma. According to the Thai concept, this is an important stage that determines the deliciousness of the nuggets, because if it is too hot, it will be hard, if it is underfired, it will lose its plasticity.
Roasted rice waiting to cool is pounded in a stone mortar. All stages of making Tu Le nuggets are done manually. On average, a family of 3 people in Na Lang village will make about 20 kg of nuggets a day.
The nugget pounding stage is carried out simultaneously by two people. One person beats the tide, the other uses chopsticks to stir in a row. The beater must beat his legs evenly, must not use too strong or too light force, the stirrup must coordinate rhythmically so that the nuggets are pounded evenly.
When the husk has cracked from the rice, the nuggets will be scooped out of the mortar to shed the husk. This process is repeated until the nuggets are evenly flattened, round and there is no husk left.
Tu Le nuggets have a typical green color of the rice variety. Nuggets are best eaten when they are finished. The seeds are soft, flexible, aromatic, and the aftertaste is slightly bitter then changes to a smooth and slightly sweet taste. Nuggets are often eaten with red persimmons, bananas or cooked duck porridge, sticky rice, tea and made savory dishes such as nugget rolls, fried spring rolls...
Thai people in Tu Le often make nuggets to worship their ancestors and have fun. Today, Tu Le nuggets have become a famous specialty. Visitors can vacuum and pack as gifts. A kilogram of nuggets costs about 120,000 VND if bought at people's homes.
Most families in Tu Le commune make nuggets, but the most famous point is in Na Lang village, about 60 km from Mu Cang Chai town.
According to VnE