Today’s A Journey
through Aesthetic Realms
will be presented in
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hungarian, Indonesian,
Japanese, Korean,
Mongolian, Persian,
Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish and Thai.
Who is going to Huế?
Who is returning to
Ngự Mountain?
Who is coming back
to the Perfume River?
The water on
Perfume River hasn’t
dried of affection
Ngự Mountain’s bird
is flying back
for his companion
O my love, why are we
pining so deeply?
Who is going to Huế?
Who is returning to
Vỹ Dạ Village?
Who is coming back
to Nam Giao?
Nam Giao slope is still
steep in longing
Vỹ Dạ moon kindles
a promise of yore
O my love,
if you miss me,
please come back.
Trường Tiền Bridge
has six arches
and twelve spans
If you’re fond of me,
do hasten home
As sunset passes
by the bridge later,
where can we send
our sorrow if
we still love each other?
Who is going to Huế?
Who is returning to
Ngự Pier?
Who is coming back
to Văn Lâu?
Văn Lâu Pier is still
deep in yearning,
A boat by the Ngự Pier
still awaits
the returning guest
O my love,
if you miss me,
please come back.
O my love,
if you miss me,
please come back.
O my love,
if you miss me,
please come back to me!
You’ve just enjoyed
the song “For the One
Going to Huế” by
composer Duy Khánh,
with vocals by
Phong Thủy.
“For the One
Going to Huế” is
an affectionate reminder
to the far-away travelers
to soon return to
their ancient hometown
of scenic beauty
and gentle human love.
Âu Lạc,
a beautiful country
situated in Southeast Asia,
with sub-tropical climate,
is graced by Mother Nature
with green plants
and sweet fruits,
all redolent and
delectable throughout
the four seasons.
Depending on
the weather conditions
and culinary preferences
of each region,
the local people
have skillfully created
many savory dishes.
In our program
about Aulacese
traditional cuisine,
we are pleased to introduce the
specialty foods of a land
known for its freshness
and abundance.
Indeed, at a public lecture
in the United States
in March 1991,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
especially praised
the rich natural resources
of Âu Lạc.
“Âu Lạc is among
the most enriched nations
in this world:
there are mines of gold,
silver, uranium, lead,
zinc, and tin.
Âu Lạc has everything.
There are morals, piety,
harmony, and
four thousands years
of civilization.
It is one of the most
ancient countries
in the world.
Our land has always had
abundant foods and fruits.
I remember when
I was a student there,
there was a great
variety of fruits
when I went to Bình Dương
and Long Thành.
And rice!
Aulacese indigenous rice,
called Tám Thơm,
is the most famous
in Southeast Asia
and in the world.
There are also other
products, dried or fresh,
that are most popular
in the world.”
We are deeply grateful to
Supreme Master Ching Hai
for her
treasured words
and boundless grace
for the nation and people
of peace-loving Âu Lạc.
“Whoever visits Huế
for sightseeing
would buy sesame candy
as a souvenir of love.
Savoring sesame candy
with fragrant tea,
one feels light-hearted
amid wafting scents.”
Speaking of
sesame candy,
the Aulacese would think
of elegant Huế people
of olden time,
who drank tea and
relished sesame candy
as they read books
and pondered about life.
Nevertheless, whether
in past or present,
it is the same:
the blended fragrant scent
of sesame candy and tea
creates a graceful pastime
which has long become
a deep-seated part
of the life and
culture of the people in
the ancient capital city.
We now invite you
to find out about
sesame candy in today’s
food specialty program.
O Hiền!
Brother Hiếu is home!
I thought you won’t come
back until tomorrow.
Where’s Mom, though?
Mom is inside.
O Mom!
Brother Hiếu is home.
Hi Mom! I just got home.
Are you very tired
from the long trip, son?
I’m fine, Mom.
Have a seat, brother.
Mom, I’m bringing back
some sesame candies
from Huế.
Really?
All right, leave them
there and wash up.
I’ll head for
the kitchen now.
This is for you, Hiền.
Ah! Sesame candy!
People who return to Huế
to visit home or tourists
who stop by Huế are
keen to remember to buy
sesame candy as a gift for
loved ones and friends.
Nowadays, in Huế,
there are nearly
20 sesame-candy making
facilities of all sizes.
Among them,
many have been famous
for almost 100 years,
such as Thiên Hưng,
Nam Thuận,
Hồng Thuận, Đại Thành,
and Hương Vinh.
We now invite you
to visit one of these
companies and listen
as an expert shares
with us the process of
making sesame candy.
Sesame candy
is made from
the following ingredients:
sesame seeds, peanuts,
rice flour, purified water
without alum, sugar,
malt and lemon juice.
We should choose good
ingredients; otherwise,
the sesame candy will be
black and without aroma.
To make sesame candy,
we need to prepare
a bronze pan,
2 wooden handles,
flat bamboo baskets,
a square-shaped mold
which is
30 centimeter-long
on each side,
and a flattening tube.
Now, we’ll begin
making sesame candy.
With this amount
of sesame, we need
12 kilograms of sugar,
5 kilograms of malt, and
3 kilograms of rice flour.
First, we put 3 kilograms
of rice flour and 5 liters
of water into a basin,
then stir evenly.
Next, place the bronze
pan on the stove, pour in
10 kilograms of sugar,
then pour in the flour
paste from the basin.
Stir to thaw the sugar.
Now, add 5 teaspoons
of lemon juice.
We should stir
continuously so that
the paste doesn’t stick to
the bottom of the pan
and burn.
Continue to stir
for about 10 minutes.
At this time, the flour
paste is solid and clear.
Put in 2 kilograms of
the remaining sugar
and continue to stir.
About 10 minutes later,
reduce the flame,
then add in
5 kilograms of malt.
To check if the candy
is properly cooked,
dip a chopstick
in the product and
pull out a long thin layer.
Wave this layer
back and forth
for it to cool down to
the outside temperature.
Use your hand to press it.
If it’s soft and pliable,
unsticky, then the
sesame candy is ready.
Put 5 kilograms
of peanuts in a pan
and roast them
until golden brown.
Pour the roasted peanuts
into the pan.
Stir until
the roasted peanuts and
the flour paste mix well.
Now, prepare
6 flat baskets.
Spread a layer of roasted
sesame seeds on it.
Scoop the finished product
onto the flat baskets.
Wait 5 minutes for it
to cool down a little,
then begin to flatten it.
Cover it with sesame.
Use the tube to flatten
the sesame candy evenly,
then place it on the shelf.
30 minutes later,
when the sesame candy
cools down,
we begin to cut it.
Once the sesame candy
is cool, we can cut it
using a knife or scissors.
Roll all sides of
the sesame candies
in sesame seeds,
and wrap them
with cellophane.
Then place
the sesame candies
in bags and pack them.
We’ve just finished
making the sesame candy.
Although the formula
for making it is simple,
yet to have
a sesame candy which is
soft, chewy, unburnt,
resilient, and offers
a cool and fragrant taste
is a real art.
Let me, Mom.
Look, the moon is
so beautiful today!
It’s lovely!
Have some tea, Dad!
Tea, Mom!
How is the sesame candy,
Mom?
This sesame candy
is good, son!
O Mom, do you know
why is it called
“sesame candy”?
And who first made
this candy?
As I know,
sesame candy has
a rather charming origin.
Please tell us, Mom!
Now, even I like to
hear fairy tales.
Once upon a time,
there was a couple, poor
but very kind-hearted.
One night, in a dream,
the wife saw fairies
coming down.
You know what?
The fairies were beautiful!
O Mom!
What are the fairies
cooking?
I know now.
At that time,
the wife woke up, but
she saw no one there.
O husband!
Come out here.
There’s something
that tastes so good!
What a strange food!
But it tastes very good!
It’s so good, honey!
Tomorrow, you can
share with our neighbors.
(Yes.)
The wife made the candy
the way the fairies did
in her dream.
She poured the product
onto a bamboo molder,
then brought it out to
share with her neighbors.
They all praised
how delicious it was.
Please try this food here!
What kind of food is it?
I don’t know what it is,
but it’s made
from sesame.
It’s good, isn’t it?
Very good!
Try this food,
brothers and sisters!
So good!
Chewy but not hard, with
a delicate sweet taste.
Thank you, sister.
You’re so kind.
This is really good!
Later, the villagers kept
bringing vegetables and
fruits to her to exchange
for the sesame candy
in her bamboo molder.
The name
“molder sesame candy”
began since then.
O Sáu!
Here are some fruits for
you and your husband.
Nowadays, do people still
use the bamboo molder
to hold this candy, Mom?
In the past, people used
the bamboo molder
to hold it.
After cutting the candy,
they wrapped it
with a banana leaf.
Nowadays,
after making the candy,
we place it
on a bamboo basket
to let it cool down.
After cutting it into
small pieces, we wrap
each piece in cellophane.
So we don’t need
the molder, son.
Ah, Hiếu!
How do you know
how to buy
good sesame candies?
Good sesame candies
have a clear yellow, Dad.
When pressed or bent,
it feels soft
but doesn’t crumble.
When we let it go,
it goes back to
its original shape.
Then why didn’t you buy
one big box so that we
can eat little by little?
Even good sesame candy
must be used within
3 months; otherwise
it won’t taste good.
Hiếu, we want you to get
acquainted with a family
in the upper village.
Their daughter
is both beautiful
and well-mannered.
I... haven’t thought
about this yet...
Well, go rest early, son.
Tomorrow, you have to
go present yourself to
Miss Hương’s family.
Yes.
In the past, people often
used primitive tools
such as wooden handles
and firewood
to make sesame candy.
Nowadays,
many places operate with
motor and gas stoves.
Previously, everything
was done by hand.
Hand kneading
the dough,
manual cooking,
then hand flattening.
Nowadays,
there is an advantage;
that is, the kneading,
cooking, cutting
and packaging
are all motor-driven.
But there is a process
which can’t be done
by machine; that is,
you can’t flatten
the sesame candy
by machine.
Because it’s glutinous,
so when you flatten by
machine, it’ll be sticky.
Therefore, we flatten
much of the candy
by hand.
After that, we let it
cool down, then
we may cut by machine.
This sesame candy,
if you don’t do by hand,
it’ll never be good.
80% of the process
can be done by machine,
but 20% of it
must be done by hand.
At present, aside from the
traditional sesame candy,
people have invented
many kinds of
sesame candies such as
crispy sesame,
black sesame, and
transparent sesame.
Crispy sesame candy
contains no peanuts,
has less sugar,
and is wrapped in
roasted thin rice paper.
Crispy sesame candy
has a delicate sweet taste
and the crispiness
of rice paper.
Transparent
sesame candy is thin
and its sugar is cooked
until it becomes
glass-like transparent.
Black sesame candy is
similar but made with
black sesame and
is also very popular.
O Hương, prepare tea
for our guests, dear!
In the tranquility of
an early morning
or a peaceful evening,
with the fragrant tea cup
and sesame candies,
a poetic pastime for
the elegant and literary
people can be found.
Indeed, sesame candy
isn’t just
an outstanding dessert,
a harmonious combination
of the dedicate sweetness
of malt, the fragrant scent
of lemon, the nutty flavor
of sesame seeds
and peanuts, but it is
also a true reflection
of the graceful lifestyle
of the people
in the ancient capital city.
Thank you
for watching our program
featuring sesame candy,
a specialty food of
Âu Lạc (Vietnam).
Please tune in to
Supreme Master
Television
for more on Aulacese
traditional cuisine
in future broadcasts.
Coming up next is
Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living,
after Noteworthy News.
Farewell for now.