Rice Patty Country: A Journey to Impress the Locals with Vietnam's Rolls Royce Rice Dishes

As I stepped into this picturesque village, I couldn't help but feel like Steven McQueen. The villagers greeted me with a warm smile, and it was clear that I was the only person in the village who spoke a bit of English. I apologized for being late, knowing that I had missed the start of the Harvest celebration feast. But what caught my attention were the Northern Hill tribe's unique method of processing rice.

The villagers took me to the fields where they grew and harvested rice. They cut the rice from the stalks and swept it into a large concrete container in the middle of the field. This method allowed them to separate the individual rice grains, which was both fascinating and impressive. I couldn't believe how much work went into processing rice without any modern machinery or technology. The men were sweating profusely, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves as they rode their bikes through the fields.

As we walked towards the village, I noticed that the villagers were busy preparing for the feast. They were setting up tables and chairs, while others were cooking various dishes over open flames. I was particularly interested in learning about the art of making rice, which is considered the foundation of Vietnamese cuisine. The villagers showed me how to prepare rice by pounding it with a large stone tool, mixed with water. This method produced a fragrant and flavorful rice that was unlike anything I had ever tasted before.

The villagers also taught me how to make a popular dish called "Rice with Rice" or "Mi with Rice." They would mix cooked rice with various ingredients like pork, mushrooms, onions, and herbs, and shape it into small patties. The key to making these patties was applying a delicate touch, so that the rice remained paper-thin and crispy on the outside.

As I began to cook the patties, I realized how different Vietnamese cuisine was from what I had grown up with in England. In Vietnam, rice was not just a side dish, but an integral part of every meal. The way they used rice as a base for various dishes was truly innovative and impressive. Despite my initial struggles with cooking the patties, the villagers encouraged me to try again, assuring me that it was all about having fun and experimenting with different flavors.

As I continued to learn from the villagers, I began to appreciate the art of making rice even more. It wasn't just about cooking a simple dish; it was about understanding the culture and traditions behind every ingredient. The villagers were proud of their heritage, and they shared their knowledge with me with great enthusiasm. I left the village feeling grateful for this experience and inspired to explore more of Vietnam's culinary delights.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is rice Patty country and I'm here to get my hands on Vietnam's most important ingredient and to learn the Rolls Royce of rice dishes to impress vies people one thing you've got to do first off is cook their rise perfectly today the village are celebrating the end of the rice Harvest with a feast I love hello how are you oh good good to see you s is the only person in the village who speaks a bit of English that was amazing honestly I felt like Steven McQueen now I know I'm a little bit late okay and the Harvest is finished yeah I'm sorry but about come in time for the feast right yes hello look at those little Beauties there yes hello hello hello this Northern Hill tribe not only pick the rice they process it too but there are no modc cons here what's going on there that is fascinating they cut the rice from the SP they're taking all the little rice grains off the plant and then it's all swept into the middle of the concrete yeah can a TR this is incredible yeah not only that right Inc I've never been on a bike this long in my life you can go to our friends yeah I'm sweating like a Vietnamese pig is what all ladies do in the morning and harvest M yes sometime the men sometimes the men Christ I'm going to look at rotos in a completely different way now what's the old boy laughing at Hey Big Boy your turn next in this 40° heat I think I'd better stop before I ke over time to put all this rice to good use and learn what they do with it and what is this they making this R by rice so this is the rice and it's Mi with the water and so it's pounded rice yes mixed with water yes that's not sticky rice no yeah not sticky what is amazing for me is the fact that we cook rice one or two different ways in England you guys have put a completely different meaning on Rice yes and she puts onions and pork in the middle pork and the mushroom pork and mushroom incredible thank you lovely for me to make these paper thin rice I'm going to need to apply a delicate touch that's a great start are you okay yeah I'm fine the chair's sorry how embarrassing hopefully I can impressing with my culinary skills I've lost half my mix okay oh that is what you call sticking stick to blanket fing neck thank God I didn't grow up in Vietnam you know I've been useless as a chef here we go one more time there's a fine art to this and I just don't have it no no no come come come in come in come in you I'm not going to screw up anymore you know what I'm in danger of busting this chair start to claps again what do we take delicious delicious very good I'll buy some new stallsthis is rice Patty country and I'm here to get my hands on Vietnam's most important ingredient and to learn the Rolls Royce of rice dishes to impress vies people one thing you've got to do first off is cook their rise perfectly today the village are celebrating the end of the rice Harvest with a feast I love hello how are you oh good good to see you s is the only person in the village who speaks a bit of English that was amazing honestly I felt like Steven McQueen now I know I'm a little bit late okay and the Harvest is finished yeah I'm sorry but about come in time for the feast right yes hello look at those little Beauties there yes hello hello hello this Northern Hill tribe not only pick the rice they process it too but there are no modc cons here what's going on there that is fascinating they cut the rice from the SP they're taking all the little rice grains off the plant and then it's all swept into the middle of the concrete yeah can a TR this is incredible yeah not only that right Inc I've never been on a bike this long in my life you can go to our friends yeah I'm sweating like a Vietnamese pig is what all ladies do in the morning and harvest M yes sometime the men sometimes the men Christ I'm going to look at rotos in a completely different way now what's the old boy laughing at Hey Big Boy your turn next in this 40° heat I think I'd better stop before I ke over time to put all this rice to good use and learn what they do with it and what is this they making this R by rice so this is the rice and it's Mi with the water and so it's pounded rice yes mixed with water yes that's not sticky rice no yeah not sticky what is amazing for me is the fact that we cook rice one or two different ways in England you guys have put a completely different meaning on Rice yes and she puts onions and pork in the middle pork and the mushroom pork and mushroom incredible thank you lovely for me to make these paper thin rice I'm going to need to apply a delicate touch that's a great start are you okay yeah I'm fine the chair's sorry how embarrassing hopefully I can impressing with my culinary skills I've lost half my mix okay oh that is what you call sticking stick to blanket fing neck thank God I didn't grow up in Vietnam you know I've been useless as a chef here we go one more time there's a fine art to this and I just don't have it no no no come come come in come in come in you I'm not going to screw up anymore you know what I'm in danger of busting this chair start to claps again what do we take delicious delicious very good I'll buy some new stalls\n"