Com Lang Vong is a culinary specialty of Hanoi.

Com Lang Vong is a culinary specialty of Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general. This is a typical product of Vong village (Hau hamlet) about 5-6 km from the center of Hanoi, now Dich Vong ward, Cau Giay district, Hanoi.

The profession of making Com Lang Vong originated from a legend: One autumn a thousand years ago, when the rice started to curl, it rained heavily, the wind was strong, the dike broke, and the highest rice fields were submerged. The people of Vong village had to cut the young rice flowers, bring them home, roast them, and eat them gradually to stave off hunger. Unexpectedly, this reluctant product had its own unique and very attractive flavor, causing the people of Vong village to often make it for fun every autumn.

The profession of making Com Lang Vong originated from a legend: One autumn a thousand years ago, when the rice started to curl, it rained heavily, the wind was strong, the dike broke, and the highest rice fields were submerged. The people of Vong village had to cut the young rice flowers, bring them home, roast them, and eat them gradually to stave off hunger. Unexpectedly, this reluctant product had its own flavor, very attractive, so the people of Vong village often made it to enjoy every autumn. Each time they made it, they learned from their experiences and created more, so the Com grains became greener, thinner, more sticky, and more fragrant.

And Com Lang Vong went beyond the bamboo fence of the village, following gift packages and street vendors to relatives and sophisticated eaters, then became a precious specialty presented to the kings of the Ly dynasty (1009-1225), becoming a famous elegant dish of the people of Trang An.

The autumn green rice crop lasts nearly 3 months, starting from the 1st of the 7th lunar month onwards.

Traditional process of making green rice flakes: harvest the glutinous rice, thresh the grains, sift out the straw, rinse with water, select the plump grains and then pour them into a cast iron pan to roast. To maintain the heat, the stove for roasting green rice flakes must be covered with coal slag 15cm thick on the top and 40cm thick on the bottom, but do not burn with coal (too high heat) but must use firewood (easy to adjust the fire).

At first, roast over medium heat. When the rice grains are pale white, reduce the heat. Stir the roasted rice grains continuously so that they are evenly heated. Roast for 30 minutes, then test. Each time, take 5 grains and place them on a piece of wood. Use your thumb to rub each grain hard. If you see “2 curls and 3 cracks” – meaning 2 grains have not peeled off the shell but curl up, 3 grains have peeled off the shell but do not curl up – it is done.

After roasting, let cool, put into mortar and pound, each batch is about 5 kg. Pound for ten minutes, when there is chaff, scoop it out, winnow it, pound again, up to 7 times, each time depending on whether the rice is dry or wet, there must be a solution. The 5th pounding must separate the rice into 3 types: young rice, young rice and old rice and pound each type separately in the last two times.

The finished green rice flakes are wrapped in two layers of leaves. The inner layer is made of green and cool taro leaves to keep the rice flakes from drying out and from losing their precious jade green color; The outer layer is made of lotus leaves with a light, elegant fragrance.

Nowadays, green rice is also processed into green rice cakes and green rice sweet soup… dishes that are no less delicious because of the sticky aroma of green rice, the rich taste of green beans, and the crunchiness of thinly sliced coconut. Green rice cakes combined with su se cakes have long been an indispensable pair of cakes in engagement ceremonies of Hanoians.

There are many places to eat green rice cakes in Hanoi, but the most famous is the green rice cakes on Hang Than Street. As for green rice dessert, it is usually served in a small white porcelain bowl. The dessert is thinly cooked with white sugar and transparent tapioca flour, with green rice grains, a faint scent of sticky rice and grapefruit essential oil, strangely alluring.

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