Sticky and fragrant sticky rice Khe Kem

(Baonghean.vn) - People often say that if you haven't been to Kem waterfall, you haven't been to Con Cuong. If you have come to Kem waterfall and haven't enjoyed sticky rice after bathing in the waterfall, it would be a pity.

To make a batch of delicious sticky rice that diners rave about requires a lot of effort. The Thai people of Con Cuong also have their own secrets so that tourists who come to see Khe Kem waterfall and enjoy sticky rice will remember it forever.

First, the fragrant sticky rice must be cleaned and soaked in an aluminum basin for a while to expand. While soaking, cut the coconut meat into thin strips, soak in coconut milk until the sticky rice is absorbed, then pour it into a basket to drain. The bamboo tubes for grilling are cut from young bamboo trees in the forest, cut one section at a time. If you cut an old bamboo tube, it will break when grilled.

Sticky rice mixed with shredded coconut. Photo: Tuong Vi

Measuring the rice also requires skill, measuring soaked sticky rice to about half the tube, adding a pinch of salt, pouring water to fill two-thirds of the tube. In some regions, people use young wild banana leaves, rolled them up and put them inside the bamboo tube.

Then use banana leaves to plug the end of the tube and spread the young bamboo tube over hot coals. Do not heat it directly over the fire, as this may burn the bamboo tube and the rice will not cook evenly. Turn the bamboo tube over until it is evenly heated and gradually charred. When the water in the bamboo tube boils dry and gives off a fragrant smell, the bamboo tube is evenly charred, the rice is cooked.

Measure out about 1/2 of the bamboo tube with sticky rice, then add water before baking. Photo: Tuong Vi

The rice is not cooked directly on the stove. The rice tubes are placed next to the red stove to cook gradually, rotated evenly, it takes up to 1.5 hours to cook a batch of rice like this. Photo: Tuong Vi

Bamboo rice tubes are dried next to the fire and then grilled over charcoal until completely dry. Photo: Tuong Vi

Take out the bamboo tube rice and wait for it to cool down, open the banana leaf, use a knife to cut the mouth of the tube into small strips about 1cm. Use a knife to split off the outer layer of the rice, leaving only the paper layer.

When enjoying bamboo rice, customers just need to use their hands to pick up the paper layer like peeling a banana. The fragrant bamboo rice sticks, the aroma of young bamboo tubes, young wild banana leaves, and stream water. Dipping with sesame salt and peanuts creates a unique flavor that is chewy and delicious.

If you want to eat hot and scorched sticky rice, just reheat the tube after peeling off all the outer layer. The paper layer may be scorched but is still "safe" because inside there is still a layer of wild banana peel covering it.

Sticky rice with grilled fish is like "a young girl meeting a young man". At Kem waterfall, visitors often enjoy sticky rice with grilled chicken and wild banana flower salad. Each tube of rice costs 20,000 VND.

Tourists come to bathe in Kem waterfall and enjoy sticky rice. Photo: Tuong Vi

During the summer, many children also take the opportunity to learn how to make sticky rice from their parents because this is not only a Thai dish but also a way for them to help their parents earn extra income during the tourist season.