The Central Highlands are diverse cultural nuances, expressed through gongs, literary treasures, ethnic festivals, and unique cuisine. It is impossible not to mention the delicious and attractive Com Lam of The Central Highlands (Sticky Rice In Bamboo Tube).
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About the culinary culture of the Central Highlands
The culture of the Central Highlands was formed from the “cultivation civilization” instead of the “wet rice civilization.” In addition, all other fields such as literature, art, festivals have different features compared to other regions, the most typical of which is Central Highlands cuisine with unique and attractive dishes.
The cuisine of the Central Highlands is vibrant and diverse because each different region has different ways of preparing dishes. However, one thing in common is that they all bring the typical flavors of the highland homeland, the quintessence of the mountains and forests that are strange, attractive, and hard to resist.
From the light dishes of Da Lat such as banh can, pancakes, artichoke soup stewed with pork; grilled meat, etc. to the folk dishes of the ethnic people such as ant egg salad, marinated pork with mac mat leaves, braised lentil with bitter melon leaves, ant egg soup with Giang leaves (Dak Lak, Gia Lai).
Besides, there are elaborately prepared dishes such as Hotpot with forest leaves, leaf salad, sturgeon fillet roll with daylily flower, chicken on fire, etc., and Lam rice, a traditional dish always present at the parties or festivals of the local people.
Com Lam of the Central Highlands – a unique specialty that combines nature and people.
Com Lam of the Central Highlands is a dish that deeply shows the community, closely linked with many details related to the daily life of the people. Therefore, com lam (Sticky Rice In Bamboo Tube) has become a culinary culture over time, the pride of ethnic minorities here.
Due to the requirements of swidden cultivation and the nomadic lifestyle, many people in the Central Highlands took advantage of the bamboo tubes available in the forest to cook the rice grains they brought with them throughout the working season.
The rice they cook helps fill the stomach more than other dishes, meeting heavy work needs. Although it is rustic and simple, with this cooking method, Com Lam of the Central Highlands has a characteristic delicious taste and has become a famous delicacy of this land that is very popular with tourists from all over the world, different from com lam in the Northwest or Laotian.
According to locals, the dish comes from the Ede ethnic group in Buon Don, Dak Lak. Later, the com lam of the Central Highlands has many different versions, but even so, this specialty still has the same common characteristics.
To create soft and fragrant rice grains, you must carefully select glutinous rice to cook. The grain is moderate, elongated, white, and fragrant. If you can buy upland rice, it will enhance the taste of this Com Lam.
After that, rice will be soaked in water taken from a stream or cliff and soaked for a few hours or a night before putting it into the bamboo tube. Besides, choosing the right bamboo tube also contributes to the success of Com Lam of Central Highlands.
Tubes should not be too young nor too old, and incredibly fresh ones to keep the taste of bamboo when the rice is cooked. When pouring rice into the tubes, do not squeeze too tightly. Finally, use forest leaves, mainly banana leaves, to seal the open end of the tubes.
Next, people will set up a charcoal stove to put those bamboo tubes in, but they have to wait for the charcoal fire to be hot so that the sticky rice won’t dry out and burn. In particular, in this process, the chef always has to turn the tubes until the outer shell is slightly burnt, dry and a faint smell of sticky rice comes out of the tube, then the rice is cooked.
Taken from the kitchen, the bamboo tube has lost its outer layer of black bamboo, leaving only a thin layer of ivory white that holds the sticky rice grains to bring up the scent of the mountains. Cut into small pieces to eat, then eat with sesame salt is the most delicious.
Besides, this dish of com lam will be even more delicious if served with grilled chicken or skews of roasted, golden, fragrant pork with a cup of é salt, a spice abundant in the mountains of the Central Highlands.
Between the vast, airy space and the chilly weather of the mountains, each piece of white rice with sesame salt and chicken, grilled pork with salt, is nothing more interesting. The authentic, rustic taste is delightful but equally delicate, so Com Lam is always a great discovery for anyone who has the opportunity to visit this land.
Read more: Discover the 100-year-old wooden cathedral in Kon Tum
Some places to sell delicious grilled chicken and com lam
You can easily find restaurants selling rice in the Central Highlands in all provinces and cities in this region. The eateries here often serve from noon to late evening. The price of each grilled chicken served with com lam is about 300,000 VND. And here are some addresses for your reference when you have the opportunity to explore the Central Highlands.
PleiTieng Grilled Chicken
Address: Han Thuyen, Tan Son Ward, City. Pleiku, Gia Lai
Opening hours: 09:00 – 21:00
Price: 50,000 VND – 150,000 VND
Grilled Chicken Com Lam – Ha Huy Tap
Address: 126 Ha Huy Tap, Tan Loi Ward, City. Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak
Opening hours: 09:00 – 19:30
Price: 50,000 VND – 200,000 VND
Huong Rung Grilled Chicken Rice Rice
Address: 6B Ankroet, Da Phu, Ward 7, Da Lat City, Lam Dong.
Opening hours: 10:00-23:00
Price: 55,000-200,000 VND
Kim Gia grilled chicken rice shop
Address: 65/1 Quang Trung, Ward 9, Da Lat City, Lam Dong
Opening hours: 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Price: 20,000-300,000 VND
Not only captivated people by the sound of the rock guitar with the sound of the mountains or the alcohol, the Central Highlands skillfully kept visitors with specialties with bold flavors of the sunny plateau. Suppose you have the opportunity to travel to the Central Highlands. In that case, you definitely must not miss the chance to enjoy those special gifts to learn more about the people’s unique and rich culinary life.
