If you have ever tried “Cơm Việt” (Vietnamese plain boiled
rice), you will find the difference from the boiled rice in other
countries!
In an ordinary meal of Vietnamese people, together with a variety of different dishes, Com or plain boiled rice is an indespensable one, the most popular food at the main meals of the day (lunch and dinner).
Different cooking method makes “Cơm Việt” different!
In
Vietnam, Com is made from different kinds of rice, typically fragrant
rice is used, such as Tam Thom and Nang Huong. The main ingredients of
Vietnamese plain boiled rice are commonly as follows:
Vietnamese plain boiled rice
- 1 cup of rice.
- 2 cups of boiling water.
- 1 teaspoonful of salt.
So,
how can you make the boiled rice really delicious? If you have chance
to see how Vietnamese people make a good pot of boiled rice, you will
notice that its process is not so difficult. Firstly, pick the rice
over, taking out all the bits of brown husk; fill the outside of the
double boiler with hot water, ans put in the rice, salt and water, and
cook forty minutes, but do not stir it. Then take off the cover from the
boiler, and very gently, without stirring, turn over the rice with a
fork; put the disk in the oven without the cover, and let it stand and
dry for ten minutes. Then turn it from the boiler into a hot dish, and
cover.
Other rice–made foods...
Beside
the above-mentioned recipe of “Cơm Việt”, the Vietnamese people created
many other rice-made foods, such as: rice ball, fried rice, rice gruel,
steamed glutinous rice. Among them, making a rice ball (“Cơm nắm” in
Vietnamese) is so interesting! “Cơm
nắm” is a Vietnamese rice dish pressed into cylinder or sphere shape,
which is sold in small alleys in Hanoi by vendors. This dish is very
familiar with Vietnamese people. “Cơm nắm” has become a
cheap but delicious rustic gift. When being fed up with nutritious food
like vermicelli or “phở”, people often look for a frugal dish like “Cơm
nắm” served with roasted sesame and ground nut.
Rice balls
Do
you think it is easy to make a rice ball? A lot of people may say
“Yes”, and you can obey the following simple process to make perfect a
rice ball. To begin with, you boil the rice in a rice cooker. Please
bear in mind that you have to make rice balls while the rice is hot or
else it will not stick together. Next, you wet your hands and put a
pinch of salt on your palms. Then, you put rice on your hand and wad up
the rice and shape like cylinder or sphere.
“Cơm nắm” is served with not only sesame but also other things, such
as stewed fish, simmered pork or salted shredded meat. However, salted
roasted sesame (and ground nut) is still the first choice. The dish is
so delicious that you surely would like to taste more than once... The
rice is white clear, soft and used to be wrapped in a green
banana leaf, which is so attractive. However, its cover is replaced
with a plastic bag or paper. The salted sesame is roasted light brown
and grated, which has an appealing fragrance. “Cơm nắm” is cut into
slices and served with this sesame or/and ground nut. The sweetness of
rice combining with the buttery taste of sesame is so unique that can
not be found anywhere in the world.
Being
in Vietnam, you are strongly recommended to give you the chance for
enjoying “Cơm Việt” with dishes of pork, fish, shrimp and vegetable
cooked in oil, as well as vegetables, pickles, etc. Have good appetite!
Vietnam Beauty!
