Knowledge of making Bỏng Chủ

Bỏng Chủ is a dish found only in Cổ Loa (Chủ village in the past). Legend has it that Bỏng Chủ was a type of stored food for soldiers going into battle because it could be kept for many days. It is also an indispensable offering in the Cổ Loa festival on the 6th day of the first lunar month, offered to the King to commemorate his merits.

Because it is a ceremonial offering, the makers must observe ritual purity before roasting and pressing the bỏng. The craft of making Bỏng Chủ in Cổ Loa has existed for a long time and continues to this day. Bỏng is made from yellow-flower glutinous rice. The grains must be round and plump; before roasting, they must be spread on the ground for 5 days so that when roasted the rice pops large and evenly.

In the past, Cổ Loa set aside a public field area for cultivation to obtain rice for making bỏng. Today, the glutinous rice for making Bỏng Chủ is mainly bought from Dục Tú village or the Bắc Ninh area. Ingredients also include cardamom, sesame, and peanuts; cardamom is a very characteristic flavor of Bỏng Chủ. Cardamom is roasted, ground fine, and mixed with the bỏng to create a fragrant sweetness.

The tools of the trade include a large cast-iron pan (usually about 1 m) placed on a self-built stove; the fire is always adjusted—at the start of roasting keep a moderate fire, and when the rice pops a lot, make the fire high. Use bundles of bamboo sticks or chopsticks to stir continuously and evenly throughout roasting. When it has popped evenly, the rice is winnowed to remove the outer husk.

People use three different types of winnowing baskets to winnow the husks: large flower basket, medium flower basket, and cluster basket. Corresponding to the three types are products called hoa 1, hoa 2, and hoa 3. The three types of popped rice, after being cleaned of husks, are mixed evenly with a mixture of melted sugar-molasses water cooled, along with roasted and finely ground sesame, peanuts, and cardamom. Grind the sugar skillfully so that when mixed there are still some small sugar grains. After mixing, put it into a pressing mold.

Roasting and winnowing bỏng are usually done about 1 month before the festival, but mixing and especially pressing bỏng are done only about 5 days to 1 week before the festival (around the 29th of the twelfth lunar month). The bỏng is pressed into cakes by two people: one holds the pestle and presses hard about 20 times, one holds the mold tight. The bỏng cake is rectangular, 25 cm x 30 cm, with thickness as desired, or about 37 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm.

After coming out of the mold, the bỏng is dusted with a coating made from a portion of finely ground popped rice, left for about one night, and then cut into small pieces. Each bỏng cake mold is divided in half, and each half is cut into 5 pieces wrapped in 2 layers of paper. The inner layer is newspaper to help prevent moisture, and the outer layer is red paper for an attractive appearance.

Tie tightly with bamboo strips. Cổ Loa people make three types: bỏng thửa, bỏng nặng, and bỏng nhẹ, differing depending on the method and ratio of molasses mixed: Bỏng thửa: this type has a lot of molasses and includes cardamom, usually for offerings or used in important affairs such as weddings and longevity celebrations. Bỏng nặng: this type has less molasses and no cardamom. Bỏng nhẹ: this type has little molasses, no cardamom, and no peanuts. Bỏng nặng and bỏng nhẹ are used for sale or ordinary eating. In addition to small quantities usually made to order or sold right at the village market, Cổ Loa bỏng is mainly carried by women to sell at markets in the region such as Sọ Market (Phù Lỗ), Chờ Market (Yên Phong - Bắc Ninh), Núi Market (Sóc Sơn), Me Market, Giầu Market (Từ Sơn - Bắc Ninh), or Bưởi Market (Hà Nội)... This craft contributes to increasing income for local people and is also a practical channel for promoting the traditional cultural values of Cổ Loa.