lại gạo
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To become hard again (of glutinous rice cakes): Describes the process where "bánh chưng" (a traditional Vietnamese square sticky rice cake) hardens and loses its initial soft, sticky texture several days after being boiled. This is a natural result of the rice starch retrograding.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Bánh chưng để ba ngày là bắt đầu lại gạo. (Sticky rice cakes begin to harden after three days.)
- Bánh chưng lại gạo thì có thể đem rán hoặc hấp lại cho mềm. (When sticky rice cakes have hardened, you can fry or steam them again to soften.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is highly specific to the context of traditional Vietnamese food, particularly "bánh chưng" and sometimes "bánh tét" (cylindrical sticky rice cake). It describes a specific state of the food, not a general cooking process.
Variants and Related Words
- Bánh chưng: A traditional Vietnamese cake made of glutinous rice, mung beans, and pork, wrapped in banana leaves and boiled.
- Cứng lại: To harden (general term for any object).
- Retrogradation: (Technical term) The process in cooked starch where molecules reassociate, causing the food to become firmer and less elastic.
Synonyms
- To harden (again): The general process of becoming hard.
- To stale (specific to starchy foods): To become less soft and fresh.
Notes on Meaning
- "Lại gạo" is not a general verb for "to re-rice" or any other literal action. Its meaning is fixed to this particular culinary phenomenon. It does not apply to uncooked rice or other rice dishes.