Me Tri village resumes production of ‘com’ - autumn delicacy of Hanoi

Visitors to Me Tri village of Hanoi’s Nam Tu Liem district these days can smell the soft fragrance of young rice in every corner. The charming scent of young rice is able to grasp the attention of any passers-by. Me Tri is one of the few remaining traditional ‘com’ making villages, aside from Vong and Lu. For generations, traditional culinary villages in the capital city have created delicious dishes and contributed to the culinary ecosystem of Vietnam. Among those dishes, ‘com’ is considered a must-have snack for Hanoians in autumn. To many, the green, fragrant, and light sweet flakes seem to contain the entire quintessence of the nature. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

When the pungent scent of milk flowers spreads across the capital city, usually in late September, signaling the arrival of autumn, Me Tri villagers become busier than normal as they have to work continuously overnight so that fragrant, glutinous, and warm rice flakes can reach buyers in the early morning. ‘Com’ is made of young sticky rice reaped in either ‘chiem’ (harvested in the fifth lunar month) or ‘mua’ (harvested in the 10th lunar month) crops, but it is most delicious when the ingredient is ‘nep cai hoa vang’, an indigenous rice variety. People in Hanoi often use the rice of the ‘mua’ crop to make ‘com’ as it will give the dish a better taste. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

There are two ‘com’ making seasons in Me Tri village, corresponding to the rice crops of ‘chiem’ and ‘mua’. The ‘mua’ crop lasts from around the middle of the seventh lunar month to the ninth lunar month. Setting foot in 'com' making villages in this season, visitors can hear rice pounding sounds and smell the scent of young rice flakes coming from local households. It takes a large number of meticulous steps to make a perfect batch of young sticky rice flakes. To make 'com', only plump and fragrant grains are chosen. After being harvested, young sticky rice is dried in the sun, then straw and empty grains are sifted out, and the remaining grains are washed in water. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

After being harvested, dried in the sun and washed, young sticky rice grains are roasted in a pan over small fire and stirred constantly. When the green grains turn white, release fragrance, and have their husk easily removed, they are properly cooked. After that the husked rice will be pounded and continued to be sifted to remove the remaining cover. Pounding and sifting must be carried out for at least three times to make a clean batch of ‘com’. The stoves for roasting ‘com’ are covered with coal residues but firewood, not coal, is used as fuel. Meanwhile, the roasting pans are often made from cast iron, which can ensure each grain will not be overcooked but soft, sticky, and fragrant. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The ‘com’ production in Me Tri village dates back more than a century. This craft was named in the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Residents in Me Tri village said once the ‘com’ making season comes, all family members are involved in the making process of this specialty, working from 4am until midnight. The finished product will be wrapped in lotus leaves so that the scent of both mixes with each other. ‘Com’ lovers usually rub the grains in lotus leaves to enjoy that scent. People often eat ‘com’ directly or use it as an ingredient to make various dishes. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

After a nearly-two-month hiatus due to the pandemic-triggered social distancing, Me Tri village has become busy making young sticky rice flakes these days. Notable dishes made from ‘com’ include ‘com xao’ (young sticky rice flakes cooked with sugar), ‘cha com’ (rice flake meatballs), ‘xoi com’ (steamed young sticky rice flakes), ‘banh com’ (green sticky rice flake cakes), or ‘che com’ (sweet tapioca soup with sticky rice flakes). In particular, ‘banh com’ is a must-try delicacy and also an indispensable part of every engagement ceremony in the capital city. The cake is made from young sticky rice flakes filled with mung bean, coconut flakes or candied lotus seeds. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The ‘com’ of Me Tri in particular and of Hanoi in general is an indispensable dish in the culinary culture of Vietnam. The dish is considered a gift of the wet rice culture and the quintessence of the nature. ‘Com’ and ‘banh com’ have also become special souvenirs visitors bring home whenever they set foot in the capital city. For most Hanoians, ‘com’ and its related products are among the capital’s most important flavours of autumn, packed full of nostalgia. It is a symbol of gastronomy and elegance due to its signature colour, flexibility and flavour which ‘com’ from nowhere else can compete with. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Autumn has arrived in Hanoi with gentle breezes caressing street corners, replacing the summer heat. It is the ideal time for making ‘com’. The young stick rice flakes can be made from various rice varieties but Me Tri villagers only use ‘nep cai hoa vang’, an indigenous rice variety, to make their speciality. The delicate but fragrant green grains reflect the labour, love and passion of the rice growers and ‘com’ producers. It seems to be able to contain the essence of the earth, the heaven, as well as the scent of sunshine and wind. Many have said staying in the capital without savouring ‘com’ would be a major shortcoming of a Hanoi experience. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Legend has it that in one autumn a thousand years ago, when farmers in Vong, another famous ‘com’ making village in Hanoi, were going to harvest sticky rice, a storm came and caused huge damage to the crops. Villagers tried to pick the remaining green rice from the storm-torn paddy fields and brought it home to stir fry. The rice became a newly-invented dish and helped them survive hard days. Through generations, locals invented more skills to ‘com’ processing until they found it tasted so good that it eventually became more perfect and even went beyond the village to win the favour of all people. Since then, ‘com’ has been made every autumn. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

As the rice farming area in Me Tri has been shrinking and the output is not enough for producing ‘com’, villagers have had to source the material from nearby localities. Making young sticky rice flakes is a meticulous process that producers invest their wholehearted efforts in. Skill and hard work are needed to make authentic ‘com’ which must be flat, lime-green, chewy, sticky and smell pleasant like the scent of green rice, so many of the makers have to learn how to make ‘com’ from a very young age. The speciality is sold by street vendors or in shops. It can also be found on the breakfast or buffet menu of many hotels in Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

From the beginning of a rice crop, Me Tri villagers have to buy high-quality rice seeds from nearby areas such as Me Linh, Soc Son, and Vinh Phuc, contract farmers to grow the rice, and purchase the grains when the harvest time comes. “Com” can be eaten directly or enjoyed with bananas like a snack. It can also be mixed with other food ingredients to create a variety of tasty dishes, including ‘cha com’ (rice flake meatballs), ‘com xao’ (young sticky rice flakes cooked with sugar), ‘xoi com’ (steamed young sticky rice flakes), ‘banh com’ (green sticky rice flake cakes), or ‘che com’ (sweet tapioca soup with sticky rice flakes). (Photo: VietnamPlus)

‘Com’ production is a fastidious process. People only select plump and fragrant grains to make this delicacy. After being harvested, young sticky rice is dried in the sun, then straw and empty grains are sifted out, and the remaining grains are washed in water. After that, they are roasted in a pan over small fire and stirred constantly. When green grains turn white, release fragrance, and have their husk easily removed, they are properly cooked. Later, the husked rice will be pounded and continued to be sifted to remove the remaining husk. Pounding and sifting must be carried out for at least three times to make a clean batch of ‘com’. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

People in Me Tri village have produced ‘com’ for over a century. The stoves for roasting ‘com’ are covered with coal residues but firewood, not coal, is used as fuel. Meanwhile, the roasting pans are often made from cast iron, which can ensure each grain will not be overcooked but soft, sticky, and fragrant. The finished product will be wrapped in lotus leaves so that the scent of both mixes with each other and its softness is retained. With its special sweetness and nutty flavor further enhanced by lotus leaves, ‘com’ is a delicacy embedded with the quintessence of Hanoi’s original cuisine that every visitor to the capital city should try. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Producing young green rice flakes is one of the oldest traditional professions in Hanoi. It has been preserved for generations and plays an important part in the diverse and flavorful cuisine of the capital city. Me Tri village in Nam Tu Liem district and Vong village in Cau Giay district are the places renowned for making ‘com’. The craft in Me Tri has a history of more than a century. Experiencing many ups and downs, the profession still exists, develops and has changed a lot. In the past, local people only produced ‘com’ in one crop per year, but now they make it all year round. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Making ‘com’ is a hard and meticulous work, but the application of machinery has helped ease the workload in several production steps, thus saving time, reducing production costs but still ensuring quality. ‘Com’ is a speciality of not only Hanoi but also an indispensable part of the Vietnamese culinary culture. The young sticky rice flakes of Me Tri are not only consumed domestically but also exported to other countries and become a favourite gift for international tourists when they set foot in the capital city. ‘Com’ is considered a must-have snack for Hanoians in autumn. To many, the green, fragrant, and light sweet flakes seem to hold the entire quintessence of the nature. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

‘Com’ is the main ingredient of many dishes. ‘Banh com’ (green sticky rice flake cakes) is a must-try speciality and also an indispensable part of every engagement ceremony in the capital city. The cake is made from young sticky rice flakes filled with mung bean, coconut flakes or candied lotus seeds. It is a must-have in happy occasions such as weddings or the Lunar New Year. Meanwhile, ‘cha com’ (rice flake meatballs) is another highlight. To make this dish, the mixture of ‘com’ and lean shoulder pork, added with seasoning, is kneaded and divided into small pieces and steamed from 15 to 20 minutes. Finally, it is fried until it becomes light brown on both sides. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

While ‘cha com’ is a great choice for the main course, ‘com xao’ (young sticky rice flakes cooked with sugar) is a fantastic idea for dessert or for tea break. It enchants people right at the first bite. The dish can be supplemented with shredded coconut meat, which will enhance the buttery taste and crunchy feeling. Similar to ‘cha com’, as soon as it is finished, ‘com xao’ needs to be wrapped in lotus leaves to absorb the subtle scent of lotus. Like fresh young sticky rice flakes, the food can also be enjoyed like a snack. People cut the dish into pieces and enjoy it with a cup of hot lotus-scented tea, which is truly the taste of Hanoi’s autumn. (Photo: VietnamPlus)