In the past, living in the forests and mountains, relying on nature, the daily activities of ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands in general, and the Northern Central Highlands in particular, were always close to grass, flowers and trees. Thanks to diligence, diligence, skillfulness, and carefulness, Ba Na mothers, sisters, and brothers, from generation to generation, have made the fragrant, sticky dish "pro prung" (laminated rice). delicious. With the same cooking method in bamboo tubes, the pro prung of the women of Plei To Nghia village (Quang Trung ward, Kon Tum city) comes from small secrets, creating a very unique flavor.
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| People put soaked sticky rice into bamboo tubes to grill |
It has become a custom that every time someone's family has something to do, the sisters in Plei To Nghia village gather together, each one holding a hand, both warm and happy, while learning more about the beautiful and the good. Today is a happy occasion, so YGyuh's mother's family cannot lack the traditional dishes of her grandparents from ancient times. Among them, the rustic pro prung dish cooked in bamboo tubes is assigned to "skilled" women to take care of.
While leisurely putting the white sticky rice grains into the bamboo tube, Ms. Y Yeh happily shared when someone was interested in the "specialty" sticky rice dish. She said, in the past, each year, people only had one field rice season, harvested in October and November of the solar calendar. Just like the regular rice types that are pounded from Loc rice and Xa Con rice; Than sticky rice and White sticky rice are stored by families in bags, kept in huts, to be eaten all year round. To cook pro prung, use Charcoal and White sticky rice, both are delicious. Now, not only do they have rice fields, the people also make many wet fields, and collect sticky rice twice a year; You should constantly have new, delicious sticky rice, instead of using old sticky rice, keeping it for a long time like before.
“Very easy! Anyone who wants to can do it..." - Ms. Y Yeh enthusiastically. To prepare for cooking pro prung, from the previous afternoon, Y Gyuh's mother's family asked her grandchildren to go into the garden and choose to cut down "ripe" bamboo trees. If it is too young, the skin will be thick and will only contain a little sticky rice. When cooked, it will have a slightly bitter, unappetizing taste. If the rice cooker is too old, when exposed to hot fire, it will easily break, spilling water in the tube, affecting the cooking process, and at the same time, it will not retain the "pure" flavor of the sticky rice. The bamboo tube used to cook pro prung is usually about 70-90 cm long and 15-17 cm in diameter; One end is closed, one end is open to put ingredients in.
Before cooking, the sticky rice is washed and soaked in water for 1 to 2 hours depending on whether it is new or old. The soaked sticky rice is taken out, mixed with a little salt, and drained. Before adding the rice, pandan leaves ( a popular type of fragrant leaves, elongated, fragrant, easy to grow) are folded into small squares, just about the diameter of the bamboo tube, and placed at the bottom of the tube; After that, add the sticky rice. Sticky rice is placed in a bamboo tube and is occasionally patted and gently shaken so that the rice grains lie evenly in the tube. When the rice has almost filled the bamboo tube, add a little water, then use a piece of pandan leaf to roll it up and seal it.
Ms. Y Yeh "revealed": Normally, some people just put sticky rice in a bamboo tube and then use banana leaves to tie one end. However, using pandan leaves to line the closed end and knot the open end, after cooking, the sticky The bamboo tube has a milder, more delicious aroma. On the other hand, in the process of putting the sticky rice into the bamboo tube, even though the rice has been soaked to hydrate, you should not put the sticky rice into the bamboo tube, but pay attention to leaving a piece of tube to pour water into. By doing so, during the cooking process, the tube will not become "strained". Sticky rice seeds bloom evenly, are soft and flexible; not dry or hard.
At the stage of cooking the tubes, Ms. Y HLun, a woman with experience cooking delicious pro prung in Plei To Nghia village, shared more: There are many ways to cook, burying the tubes in charcoal, burning the tubes on a wood fire, or leaving the tubes on top. Charcoal stove, wood stove... However, to cook delicious sticky rice, you must also pay attention. That, first of all, is to take advantage of the charcoal stove that has previously burned wood. Bury the bamboo tube into the charcoal stove with the top of the tube facing up so that the water does not spill out, also let the tube boil from the bottom, pushing the sticky rice up to fill the mouth of the bamboo tube. After about an hour, turn the tube over so that the mouth of the tube is buried in the coal, then take the bottom of the tube out. Cooked this way, the bamboo tube is not burned black on the outside, it is still green, but the sticky rice is fully cooked. During the cooking process, Ms. Y HLun noted, the coal gradually burns out, so to maintain even heat, the person cooking the pipe needs to add more firewood so that it continuously burns on the pile of coal.
The glutinous rice in the bamboo tube is taken out until it is ripe and fragrant. Let the bamboo tube cool, use a knife to make a few cuts, lightly strip it..., forming a young white "glutinous mold" that radiates a light fragrance. The small, soft piece of Lam rice blends the flavors of sticky rice, pandan leaves and the unique scent of Lo O that cannot be mixed anywhere.
From simple daily meals to jubilant early and evening festivals, simple and close pro prung has created the unforgettable traditional cuisine of the Ba Na people and ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands./.