Rich in carbohydrate and containing vitamins A and B, rice is one of the healthiest staple foods. It is used to make vinegar and wine, and it is indispensable when ground into flour to make French-style baguettes and crepes, the ubiquitous, paper-thin wrappers used for spring rolls, and dried and fresh noodles. Traditionally rice is boiled or steamed, then may be stir-fried; sticky rice is steamed until it resembles porridge.
In Vietnam, rice is regarded as the "staff of life". It plays an important role as a staple food as well as in the economy and the culture. There are even rigorous rice-cooking competitions based on the tradition of preparing rice for soldiers going into battle. With lush carpeted valleys and hillside terraces of fertile, well-irrigated rice crops, this long, narrow country manages to rank third in the rice-export game, behind t he United States and Thailand , producing a number of varieties that differ in aroma, flavor, and gluten content. Vietnam's principal rice bowls can be found in the land around the Red River in the north and the Mekong Delta in the south.
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A woman ploughing rice fields
in the traditional way with a buffalo |
LONG GRAIN RICE
Gao, or tong grain, rice is the daily staple of all South-east Asian cooking. Often delicately scented, such as fragrant jasmine rice, the grains should be dry, thin, firm and translucent when raw. Once steamed the lender grains should still retain some bite and turn white and fluff up easily with a fork. Whether polished or unpolished, aromatic or nutty, long grain rice is used throughout Vietnam and Cambodia as the absorbent bed for many fish and meat curries and stews. The Vietnamese prefer t he long grain jasmine variety (gao thom), cooked using the absorption method.
WHITE STICKY GLUTINOUS RICE
Often referred to as sticky or sweet rice (gao nep), these grains are soaked for several hours, sometimes overnight, before cooking. Glutinous rice comes in both long and short grain varieties. The long grain is used for both savoury and sweet dishes, such as the popular porridge-style dishes of South-east Asia, whereas the plumper short grain is favoured for dumplings, puddings and festive sweets. In contrast to long grain rice, the highly polished, glutinous rice grain is an opaque white colour due to the starch content when raw and turns translucent when cooked. Although the grains retain a degree of firmness, they do tend to stick to one another, thus lending themselves ideally to being handled in clumps and moulded into balls to dip into a sauce, or to be flavoured with a dollop of sweet bean paste, to be used as fillings for cakes wrapped in banana leaves. In the streets of Vietnam, glutinous rice is often eaten as a filling snack, sweetened with a little coconut milk and sugar sprinkled over the top.
BLACK STICKY GLUTINOUS RICE
This unpolished, wholegrain glutinous nee is reserved for sweet dishes throughout South-east Asia. When soaked in water and cooked, the grains turn a deep reddish-purple colour. Sometimes called forbidden rice, it has a distinct nutty flavour. More filling than white rice, it is often eaten as a snack, sweetened with coconut milk and sugar.
It is especially popular in the mango and durian season. Black sticky rice is available in some Asian markets .
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Black and white glutinous rice.
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The primary staple of Vietnamese cooking, rice is used in many forms.
Rice flour
Glutinous rice flour, sometimes called sweet rice flour, is reserved for sweet pastries, pancakes and cakes. Rice flour, also called rice powder, is available in Asian stores and should be kept in a n airtight container in a dry place.
Toasted rice flour
Thinh, or toasted rice flour, imparts a coarser texture and smoky flavour to particular dishes, such as the Vietnamese speciality of shrimp paste grilled on sticks of sugar cane. It is usually made with short grain rice by shaking a few handfuls of the raw grains in a dry, heavy-based pan over a medium heat, until they turn golden brown. The toasted grains are then ground by hand, using a mortar and pestle, or in a conventional coffee grinder, to a powder. Home-made toasted nee flour tends to be grittier than the commercial fine powders. Store toasted rice flour in an airtight container in a dry place.
Rice papers
Unique to Vietnamese cuisine, these delicate triangular or circular rice papers or wrappers (banh trang), made from rice flour, water and salt, are brittle to hold. They are dried in the open air in the sun on bamboo mats that leave their criss-cross pattern on the wrappers.
Once they have been reconstituted in water, these wrappers are used for making the fried Vietnamese spring rolls (cha gio), and the light summer rolls (goi cuon). They are also put on the table to be used as wrappings for salads, meatballs, grilled meats and stir-fried dishes. Wrapping tasty morsels and dipping them in sauce is a typical Vietnamese way of enjoying a meal.
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| Rice papers are dried on bamboo mats, which give them their familiar cross-hatch pattern |
Packets of dried rice papers are available in Asian stores and some supermarkets. Before using, the dried rice papers must be separated and soaked in water, two to four at a time, until soft and pliable. Keep any remaining papers in an airtight container or they will dry out and curl up.
Fresh rice papers
In addition to dried papers, the Vietnamese make fresh rice papers (banh uot), which are used exclusively for wrapping minced (ground) meats.
Rice wine and vinegar
Rice is often distilled to make wine and vinegar. The clear, clean tasting vinegar is used for pickling vegetables and in cooking. Both the wine and vinegar are made from fermented rice grains which lend a distinct, sharp taste. Bottles are available in Asian and Chinese stores
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