• Hon Xu Anchovy Rice Paper

Along both sides of the road in Thong Nhat hamlet, it is not difficult to see rice paper woven from bamboo or coconut leaves spread out neatly in front of the houses of the craft village households. The thin, white rice paper lies neatly on the bed, connecting from house to house, contributing to creating just enough bustle for the normally quiet and peaceful countryside.

People dry cakes all over the yard, creating a peaceful beauty of the traditional craft village.

As it is a traditional family business, the people who do this job are not divided into men or women, but most of them are middle-aged. To make rustic cakes with a strong hometown flavor and to please people in and outside the province, it takes many steps.

“To make satisfactory batches of cakes, you must choose the right type of rice. The rice is soaked, ground into flour and then mixed. After this step, the cake is spread and dried,” Mr. Le Van Leo shared.

Following his parents' profession for many years, every day, Mr. Leo often helps his wife make rice cakes and take them out to the yard to dry. When the cakes are dry enough, he collects them into the house, divides them into dozens, hundreds to sell wholesale and retail.

Rice paper is spread out to dry on a mat woven from coconut leaves.

If making the cake by hand, people will put a pot of water on the stove, with a cloth stretched over the mouth of the pot to make a mold. When the water boils and starts to steam, use a ladle to scoop the pre-mixed dough onto the mold, spread a thin layer, and then cover it tightly. Wait until the cake is evenly cooked, then use large chopsticks to take the cake out, quickly spread it on a bed, and dry it.

To keep up with the trend, in addition to households that still maintain the traditional way of making, some households in Thong Nhat hamlet have invested in rice paper making machines, helping to increase productivity, save time and labor. Along with traditional rice paper with a slightly salty taste, there are also sweet rice paper with sugar, black sesame, coconut milk, to diversify the products, meeting the needs of users. The dried cake has a fragrant sun-scent, mixed with the smell of rice flour, adding a little saltiness... creating a unique flavor.

Hong Dan rice paper is popular for its softness and deliciousness.

The traditional rice paper making village in Thong Nhat hamlet is busiest around Tet, but during rainy seasons it is quite quiet because there is no sun to dry the rice paper.

Ms. Tran Chau Pha, Vinh Loc commune, said: “My house is nearby, so since my mother's time, I have become a close customer of the people who make rice paper. Every year I buy several thousand pieces, not only for my family but also as gifts for friends in the province, even those who live far away. Although they are a gift from the countryside, they are very popular because the rice paper is chewy and delicious, and can be used to wrap spring rolls and fried. The special thing about Hong Dan rice paper is that it does not dry out or break.”

The joy of people when doing the family's traditional work.

Known as a land with many long-standing traditional craft villages, Hong Dan commune still retains traditional crafts such as: making silkworm rice cakes, forging knives, weaving mats, weaving water hyacinth handicrafts, making grass carp fish sauce... Simple, rustic but with its own unique flavor, Hong Dan's handicraft products have "held back" countless tourists. Children far from home always miss and are attached to the flavor of their homeland...

Thanh Hai

Source: https://baocamau.vn/ve-xa-hong-dan-van-vuong-huong-banh-trang-a115504.html