Dragonback Bamboo Tube Rice

Dragonback Bamboo Tube Rice

　　Bamboo tube rice, also known as fragrant bamboo rice, is a nostalgic childhood memory for every resident of Longsheng. Soaked rice is placed inside a fresh bamboo tube, the opening is tightly sealed with fresh leaves, and then it’s roasted over an open flame. When eating, you slice the bamboo skin open to reveal the rice wrapped in a thin bamboo membrane — the grains are soft, fragrant, and delicious, with an enticing aroma that’s truly one-of-a-kind.

　　Bamboo tube rice, as the name implies, is rice cooked in a bamboo tube instead of a pot. The method involves placing washed rice mixed with an appropriate amount of mountain stream water into a bamboo tube with nodes at both ends (finally sealing it tightly with a sweet potato plug), then roasting the bamboo tube over an open flame. Once the outer bamboo skin turns charred and the rice inside is fully cooked, you crack open the hot bamboo tube to enjoy the rice. The rich, wild aroma of the bamboo is incredibly intense and alluring, earning it the title of “green rice.”

　　The bamboo used for the bamboo tube rice on the Longji Terraces is cut fresh from the mountains behind the terraces early in the morning — its surface is green and lightly frosted. Each segment is about 35 centimeters long. A single bamboo pole can make roughly five bamboo tubes of varying sizes, with those near the base being larger.

　　At this time of year, rice isn’t scarce in Longji. Freshly harvested glutinous rice is soaked in spring water and mixed with ingredients such as cured meat, wood ear mushrooms, and dried bamboo shoots. The mixture is poured little by little into the small hole of the bamboo tube — not too full, about three-quarters full is enough — and finally sealed with a sweet potato plug. There's no need to add extra water, as the bamboo itself contains moisture.

　　The fire is fueled by natural materials such as charcoal or bamboo wood. Three or four bamboo tubes are placed diagonally on an iron rack, which allows for even roasting and prevents the bamboo tubes from losing moisture. The fire shouldn't be too big, or the bamboo tubes might catch fire themselves. You turn them from side to side repeatedly for about 10 minutes, until steam begins to escape from the sweet potato seal, and the fragrances of bamboo and glutinous rice waft through the air.

　　Adjust the fire to low and continue roasting slowly, turning the tubes frequently to prevent them from burning. After 30 to 40 minutes, when all the moisture from the bamboo has been absorbed into the glutinous rice, it’s time to eat.

　　The bamboo membrane still wraps around the glutinous rice, fragrant and delicate.