Sweet and fragrant Nhan Hue soy sauce

According to the locals, the soy sauce making profession in Nhan Hue commune has existed for a long time but is only done on a small scale, serving the needs of families. Although it is done in small quantities, each stage and ingredient of making soy sauce is always respected, so the quality of the soy sauce is very delicious and different from soy sauce in other regions. Promoting the traditional profession, some households in Nhan Hue commune have inherited the way of making soy sauce from the ancients, so the taste of Nhan Hue soy sauce still retains its special ancient flavor.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Bien, in Chi Linh 2 village, a member of Nhan Hue Soybean Soybean Cooperative, the soybean sauce here has the sweet taste of yellow sticky rice and the slightly sour taste of sun-dried bean water, so it is very appealing to eat. Moreover, the ingredients to make the soy sauce are all from Chi Linh land, and are very clean, making the soy sauce taste even more delicious.

The main ingredients for Nhan Hue soy sauce are yellow sticky rice grown in An Lac land (also in Chi Linh) with round grains and fragrant sticky rice aroma; soybeans grown on the alluvial banks of Kinh Thay river in Nhan Hue commune are also selected for their firm, plump grains. Other ingredients are also carefully selected.

Steam the sticky rice for 1.5-2 hours, let it cool, and then incubate it by mixing it with clean water and spreading it out on a tray. After 5-7 days, the moldy sticky rice will grow evenly on each grain. If it grows black mold, it is considered spoiled and must be incubated again. When the moldy sticky rice has a beautiful yellow color and meets the requirements, it will be put together with crushed soybeans and put in a ceramic jar to soak in clean water and dry in the sun for 6-7 days. The bean water has been dried in the sun, the rice and fermented soybeans are crushed and mixed with clean salt to dissolve evenly in the ceramic jar. This mixture is continued to be dried in the sun for 15-20 days until the soy sauce is ripe enough to produce a usable product.

According to the cooperative's soy sauce producers, good soy sauce must be soaked in earthenware jars. When exposed to strong sunlight, the earthenware jars will be hot, helping the soy sauce ripen faster; the sunnier the weather, the faster the soy sauce will ripen. The sunnier the soy sauce, the better it is, so people only have one soy sauce crop a year, in the 5th and 6th lunar months. In cold seasons or when there is little sunlight, they will not make the soy sauce because it will not have a beautiful golden mold, affecting the quality, and may even spoil.

Produced entirely in a closed process, strictly following food safety regulations, and not using preservatives, Nhan Hue soy sauce has a characteristic aroma and the sweetness of yellow sticky rice. There is only one soy sauce production season a year, so all households in the cooperative take advantage of it. Currently, each crop the cooperative can produce about 400-500 liters of soy sauce, mainly sold to people in the commune and neighboring localities. The selling price of each liter of soy sauce is about 35,000 VND for the regular bottled type, and with beautiful packaging for gifts, the price is 50,000 VND/liter.

Tuong Nhan Hue is commonly used as a dipping sauce and to cook many types of food in daily meals. The product can be preserved for 2-3 years in outdoor conditions and is not exposed to water.

In 2023, Nhan Hue soy sauce was selected by the People's Committee of the commune to register as an OCOP product of Chi Linh. With the sweet taste of sticky rice and the slight sour taste of fermented soybeans, Nhan Hue soy sauce has achieved 3-star OCOP of Chi Linh.

With the advantages of quality and origin, Nhan Hue soy sauce will continue to be expanded in production. In the near future, Nhan Hue soy sauce will be sold in many markets inside and outside the province, contributing to creating jobs and improving the lives of people here.