Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice (mẻ)


Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice is a traditional spice in Vietnamese cuisine with a characteristic sour and aromatic taste, often made from cold steamed rice or vermicelli and originating from Northern Vietnam. Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice is nutritious, rich in protein, vitamins, and lactic acid. It not only helps make some dishes delicious and special, but also has certain benefits for human health.

Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice is sold in ready-made form at the market at stores selling all kinds of dried goods, vegetables, and spices; or as an accompanying condiment when people go to the market to buy pre-cooked dog meat or grilled pork leg meat. It is not too difficult for housewives to make a jar of Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice and grow it at home for long-term use. As one of the 5 basic tastes of Vietnamese cuisine, Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice always affirms its different value compared to other sour condiments.

Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice is fermented steamed rice or vermicelli with a sour taste. This fermenting process thanks to an anaerobic bacteria, turns starch and sugar into lactic acid. It is this acid that creates the sour taste of Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice.

In Vietnam, people often raise Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice in open jars, so a very small, reddish-brown fly, called fruit fly, lays eggs. These eggs develop into maggots; They crawled inside the jar of Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice. When these maggots mature, they molt into flies and leave shells on the walls of the Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice container. To ensure hygiene, Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice should be raised in covered containers to avoid maggots and other harmful bacteria.

There are many ways to make Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice:

1- Put a cup of cold steamed steamed rice and a little sugar water into a clean glass jar, then cover tightly. After more than a week, you will have Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice to use.

2- Use boiled steamed rice water. When the steamed rice boils, take a bowl of steamed rice water and let it cool. Then put it in a jar and close it tightly.

Just like pickled sauerkraut, if you want Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice to sour quickly, you can put a little of the existing Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice into a new jar of Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice. The thing to remember is to close the jar lid tightly because this is anaerobic bacteria.

Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice can be made with vermicelli. The method of making Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice from vermicelli can be said to be the fastest and produces a delicious, hard-to-perish product because the vermicelli itself is made of steamed rice flour that becomes slightly sour in the air for a short time and then cooks again in boiling water. However, due to many reasons (possibly including sensory issues, if you look at the vermicelli fibers that have not completely decomposed in Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice), making Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice with vermicelli is not as popular as using cold steamed rice.

In order for Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice to last for a long time, it is necessary to provide food for the bacteria in the Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice farming equipment, especially after taking a portion of Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice for use. Usually add a cup of cold steamed rice. Remember to cover the steamed rice with the Sour Vietnamese fermented steamed rice included in the growing container.

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