Food & Receipts

Tips for Preserving Fresh Rice with its Delicious Aroma

Discover how to maintain the freshness and flavor of cốm, an aromatic specialty in Northern cuisine. In this article, we'll explore preservation techniques for this delicious treat.

Administrator

1 September, 2023

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We would like to share with you some ways to preserve cốm to keep it fresh and delicious.

1. What are the characteristics of cốm?

Cốm is a characteristic dish of Northern cuisine

Cốm is a popular specialty dish in the cuisine of the Red River Delta, especially in Hanoi. In addition, cốm can also be found in the Central and Southern provinces with different cooking methods that create their own distinctive flavors.

The main ingredient for making cốm is young sticky rice, and the most commonly used type of sticky rice to make cốm is called “lúa nếp cái hoa vàng”. Other types of sticky rice such as “lúa lương phượng”, “nếp thơm”, “nếp tan”, “nếp quýt”, and “nếp hoa” are also often used to make cốm.

The process of making cốm from young sticky rice is quite complicated, but the finished cốm has a very refreshing taste, with a subtle aroma of lotus leaves combined with the fragrant and sweet taste of the cốm grains. This unique flavor has captivated many people when they taste it.

2. How many types of cốm are there?

How many types of cốm are there?

There are many different ways to make cốm using sticky rice with various flavors, but the most common types of cốm are:

Làng Vòng cốm

Làng Vòng cốm is a specialty of Vòng village – Hanoi

As the name suggests, Làng Vòng cốm is a specialty made from Vòng village, now in Dịch Vọng ward, Cầu Giấy district, Hanoi. This is also the most famous type of cốm.

Làng Vòng cốm has a pure green color, with a distinct sweet taste of young sticky rice. The more you eat, the more you can taste the unique flavor of cốm that blends into your taste buds and captivates you.

Làng Vòng cốm is wrapped in two layers of rice straw and lotus leaves, keeping the cốm grains from drying out. It also retains the subtle fragrance of lotus leaves and the gentle aroma of sticky rice. Finally, it is wrapped again in strands of golden rice straw, reminiscent of the countryside.

Flat cốm

Flat cốm is popular in provinces like Trà Vinh and Sóc Trăng

Flat cốm originated from the Khmer people and later spread to the Vietnamese community. It is currently popular in provinces such as Trà Vinh and Sóc Trăng.

Flat cốm is made from slightly reddish ripe sticky rice, still soft and chewy. The process of making it is similar to Làng Vòng cốm, but people also mix the cốm with additional ingredients. It is then covered and left for a few hours for the cốm to soften and absorb the sweet and fragrant flavor.

Flat cốm is usually wrapped in banana leaves. Its flavor is not only sweet and gentle, but also has a hint of richness and nuttiness from coconut milk. When eaten, the sticky and chewy cốm creates a delicious and indescribable taste.

3. Tips for choosing delicious cốm

Tips for choosing delicious cốm

Cốm is made from different places and the ingredients are not exactly the same, so to choose delicious cốm, you should pay attention to the following:

Choose packs of cốm with thin and flat grains that are firm and when eaten, the grains should be slightly chewy, with a sweet and fragrant taste characteristic of young sticky rice.
Pay attention to the color of cốm. Good quality cốm should have a natural light green color, similar to the color of banana blossoms. Avoid choosing cốm with bright green or yellow colors, as they may have been artificially dyed.
To choose fresh and high-quality cốm that will not spoil, it is best to buy it in the morning, as this is the most suitable time to buy fresh cốm.

4. How to preserve cốm to keep it fresh and delicious

How to preserve cốm to keep it fresh and delicious

In general, cốm should be stored in a dry and well-ventilated place, and should be separated into different types. It is not advisable to store too much fresh cốm at room temperature as it will quickly spoil and may not be fully consumed. Here are some specific ways to preserve cốm:

For fresh cốm to be consumed within the day

Preserving fresh cốm for consumption within the day

To preserve the freshness and chewiness of fresh cốm, it is best to wrap it in banana leaves or lotus leaves like it was originally wrapped by the seller. This method will prevent the cốm from drying out and enhance its aroma with the presence of lotus leaves.

However, since fresh cốm is best consumed within the day and should not be left overnight. It is recommended to consume cốm within 6 hours if stored at room temperature during the summer or early autumn, as the high temperature can quickly spoil the cốm.

If you store the cốm in an air-conditioned room and it becomes dry, you can wash your hands, moisten them with filtered water, then mix the cốm thoroughly and wrap it again with lotus leaves as before to restore its freshness.

Preserving cốm in the refrigerator

Preserving cốm in the refrigerator for long-term use

If you want to preserve cốm in the refrigerator for long-term use (from 6 months to 1 year), you can put the fresh cốm in a plastic bag or plastic container and store it in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.

When you need to use the cốm, simply take out the desired amount, spread it evenly on a tray, and thaw it by placing it in front of a fan.

Tips for preserving cốm xôi

How to preserve cốm xôi for consumption within the day

Since xôi cốm is prepared with additional ingredients such as coconut milk, fresh coconut water, or mung beans, it can only be preserved in the refrigerator and should not be stored in the freezer. It is best to consume xôi cốm on the same day.

If, unfortunately, the xôi cốm stored in the refrigerator becomes dry, you can add a small amount of fresh coconut water to the xôi cốm, mix it well, and wrap it with lotus leaves for about 10 minutes.

5. Where to buy cốm? How much does it cost?

Where to buy cốm? How much does it cost?

Flat cốm is a dried cốm, so you can find it at specialty cốm stores, markets, or supermarkets with prices ranging from 50,000 to 150,000 VND per kilogram.

For Làng Vòng cốm, you can find it at the following addresses:

Cốm Huy Linh: They specialize in selling fresh and high-quality cốm, including fresh cốm, dried cốm, and xôi cốm with prices around 280,000 VND per kilogram of fresh cốm.
Cốm mộc Mễ Trì: This is one of the best places where you can find and buy high-quality Làng Vòng cốm with prices around 250,000 VND per kilogram of fresh cốm.
Cốm Khánh Huyền: This establishment is located right in Vòng village and besides fresh cốm, they also offer various dishes made from cốm, such as cốm ice cream, sticky rice stuffed with cốm, and fried cốm cakes. The price of fresh cốm here ranges from 260,000 to 280,000 VND per kilogram.

Reference:

We wish you to choose delicious cốm and preserve it well with the information we have shared.