Quynh Ba Crispy Rice

(Baonghean) - At dawn, the village road of Quynh Ba (Quynh Luu) is bustling with the footsteps of women and mothers making burnt rice. They take advantage of the free time to go to the workshop specializing in making burnt rice in Quynh Ba commune to work extra. Some fry rice, some package it, some mix spices, some make floss, each person takes on a part of the work with simple joy.

A stage of making burnt rice in Quynh Ba (Quynh Luu).

Ms. Pham Thi Hai (43 years old) in Hamlet 4, Quynh Ba Commune, on sunny or rainy days, was present at the crispy rice production facility at exactly 6:30 am. Ms. Hai said: "Since Mr. Hai invested in purchasing a crispy rice production line, we no longer have to do it manually like before, and the women have had a much easier time. Before, cooking rice was very tiring. On average, a person cooked five to seven kilos to one hundred kilos of rice a day, mainly cooking on a wood stove that made the eyes smoky. Only 5 taels of rice could be cooked at a time. On summer days, some people woke up at 3 am to cook rice." "Why not cook in a big pot for convenience?", "Rice for making burnt rice cannot be cooked in a pot. First, the rice grains do not expand evenly, some are dry and some are wet. Cooking in a stainless steel tray will not burn the rice, the rice grains will be white and delicious. When I first started working, I thought that making burnt rice meant cooking until it was golden brown, but it turned out not to be true. Before making burnt rice, the rice must be pure white. After scooping the rice onto each tray, waiting for it to cool, use your lips to estimate the amount of rice to put in a round mold as big as the mouth of a bowl. The burnt rice maker must spread the rice tightly, creating a round shape before frying. Before frying, the saltiness must be adjusted to taste, not too bland or too salty, then put the rice in the frying pan. The person who cooks and fries the rice is as important as the person who makes the floss to spread on both sides of the fried rice before packaging. The floss must also be made from good meat and special fish sauce. If it can be done like this, the fried rice will not be kept for months." spoiled, still delicious...".

Ms. Hai quickly fried rice, in 1 minute she finished frying a plate of burnt rice. From a white plate of rice, in a moment it turned golden, very eye-catching. Ms. Hai said: "Before coming to the job of burnt rice, none of my ten sisters knew each other. Since working together, we have become close like sisters in a family. The precious thing about this job is that. Whoever has difficulties or advantages, we share with each other." Recently, Cu Hoang (Ms. Lien's son, who also makes burnt rice) took the university entrance exam, although the results are not out yet, the teachers who examined the test knew for sure that he passed, so happy that the sisters pooled money to buy him 2 shirts, Ms. Lien and her mother were very touched. Cu Hai said he would try to study well, in the future he would be a support for his aunts. I read in Ms. Hai's eyes shining with joy and felt proud that in the team of burnt rice makers there were well-behaved, good-studying children. No wonder, every day when making burnt rice, the women are always chatting about home, children and family...

Ms. Lien, who is called the "big sister", is in charge of making the floss. She painstakingly tears each piece of meat, pounding it until it is loose and dry, then puts it on the stove to fry it one last time so that the meat and spices are absorbed into each other, then pours it into a colander to cool, and sprinkles it spoonfully on the fried rice.

People who come to make burnt rice in Quynh Ba partly because they want to earn extra income to support their family during the off-season, and partly because the elderly find joy in the work, having money to buy snacks, eat cakes, chew betel, and reward their children and grandchildren. More importantly, they get to do the work they love. Ms. Lien said: "I get to make burnt rice from my hometown with my own hands, and when people eat it, they praise me, it's so much fun. No matter what job you do, you need to have a heart, when you put your heart into your work, you will receive joy."

In Quynh Ba, there are two establishments that specialize in making crispy rice to sell to markets inside and outside the province. Once a week, cars come to pick up goods to import to agents, making the village bustling. Although the owners and workers are not rich, the crispy rice making profession has a happy and warm working environment. Around 5am in the summer and 7am in the winter, women invite each other to make rice, the sound of laughter and chatter. At noon, the owners and workers gather around the dinner table.

Thu Huong