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Generations of Muong Dong people have preserved "com lam” (rice in bamboo tube), a traditional dish left by their ancestors. Through many ups and downs, the people of Mo Da area, Bo town, Kim Boi district, still retain the "soul" of the profession, creating unique products. Currently, Muong Dong "com lam" has become a famous dish loved by many people, and widely sold at the mineral spring tourist area.
Bui Thi Giup, Mo Da area, Bo town (Kim Boi), prepares ingredients to make "com lam".
Bui Thi Giup's family in Mo Da area, Bo town, has been making the food for a long time. Giup said that "com lam" not only is a unique dish of Muong Dong people but also contains the ingenuity, and hard-working quality of women. The profession of cooking the rice has brought about a good income to her family during leisure time.
In order for the product to have delicious taste, her family always chooses ingredients that ensure food safety criteria and have clear origins from preliminary processing to finished product processing, so that the unique flavour is kept. After putting the rice into the tube, she pours coconut water in, and uses corn cobs to plug the tube. Next, she burns bamboo tubes in the wood stove.
Giup added that the important thing when cooking "com lam" is to know how to adjust the fire evenly and turn the tube over and over to avoid burning it and for the rice to cook evenly, glutinously, and deliciously. The process of grilling the food is the most difficult and longest, as it usually takes 2 hours. Whether the rice is delicious or not depends on this stage.
Giup’s product is popular among customers inside and outside the province. In 2021, her family’s "com lam" was recognised a 3-star OCOP product at the provincial level. Currently, in addition to being sold at tourist attractions in the district, the product is also sold at some food stores in the province and Hanoi capital city. To preserve and develop the traditional profession of making bamboo tube rice, people in Mo Da area have formed a bamboo tube rice production complex to exchange experiences and serve tourists from near and far. Currently, in the area, there are over 30 households making bamboo tube rice. On average, each household sells 70 - 100 tubes per day, event 500 tubes on holidays. Each household earns nearly 8 million VND (320 USD) a month.
Bui Van Manh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Bo town, said that in the coming time, with the development of tourism, bamboo tube rice as well as other local products will have conditions to promote their values. The Party Committee and authorities of the town always create conditions and encourage locals to develop and maintain their profession to create unique tourism products that attract more visitors to the province.
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