A Brief Introduction of The Mung bean coated sticky rice (Xôi Xéo)

Sticky rice (Xôi Xéo) is a rustic and popular breakfast of Hanoi people. Xoi xeo is a favorite of Vietnamese, its not only wonderful taste but also its convenience and not expensive.

Sticky rice (Xôi Xéo) requires a sophisticate processing. The cook chooses sticky rice having long and even grains, carefully rinse and soak the rice in turmeric water to dye it saffron. The rice is then drained, mixed with some salt and cooked in a steamer. Mung bean is soaked in water, splitted and peeled off, then brought to steam. When it is all cooked, pour into a mortar and finely grind. People form ground mung bean into small balls. Dried shallots are sliced, then fried in a pan until it turns golden brown. Cooked sticky rice is kept in bamboo baskets lined with straw or dried banana leaves. Sellers often ladle the rice into a lotus leaf, cover it with thin layers of grinded mung beans, sprinkle a little fat liquid, dried shallots and salted shredded pork then wrap it up and we have a pack of sticky rice ready to be sold.

Well-cooked sticky rice has grossy yellow grains, fine mung bean layers, crispy fried shallot and subtle aroma of fresh lotus leaves. Try a spoon of rice, we can enjoy buttery taste of mung beans, tender sticky rice blend with greasy taste of shallot fat liquid.

Xoi xeo is always a favourite dish, especially in cold winter days. In some suburban villages as Phu Thuong, Tan Mai, Tuong Mai, selling mung bean coated sticky rice becomes the traditional trade of people.

A Brief Introduction of The Red steamed sticky rice (Xôi Gấc)

Red steamed sticky rice (Xôi Gấc) is beautiful magenta color, sweet taste of sugar and spiny bitter gourd combined with greasy taste of cooking oil.

Cochinchin Gourd used in processing must be fresh, heavy, round-shaped with even spikes, and nice orange - red color. Glutinous rice selected as ingredients must be Nep cai hoa vang from Hai Hau district, Nam Dinh province. Sticky rice is washed and soaked overnight in cold water with a little salt. We chop the spiny bitter gourd in haft, scoop the fleshy pulp and seeds and put into a bowl. Add a little rice wine, mix well by hand until gourd infuses the wine, turns smooth and brilliantly red. Sticky rice is thoroughly mixed with gourd pulp and seeds, becomes a fresh red mixture. We cook sticky rice in a steamer. In steaming process, stir it well for sometimes to ensure the rice is cooked evenly. When the rice is cooked, turn off the heat, try some grains to measure the natural sweetness of guard, spinkle some more sugar if necessary, add little cooking oil and mix well until we have a glossy mixture with proper sweetness.

A Brief Introduction of The Sticky rice with sweet tapioca soup (Xôi Chè)

Sticky rice with sweet tapioca soup (Xôi Chè) is a gracious hobby of Ha noi people. Sticky rice to eat with sweet tapioca soup is xoi vo (mung bean coated sticky rice). Among different kinds of sticky rice, xoi vo is one of the most sophisticated, which requires meticulous technique, deft and subtle from makers. When enjoying this dish, we can sip each plump grains which coated with fine crushed mung bean or also can form into small balls.

Sticky rice with sweet tapioca soup (Xôi Chè) is made from simple ingredients including glutinous rice and mung bean but with complex processing. Sticky rice is soaked overnight, left to drain, and then wrapped in a clean coarse cloth so that every rice grains are completely dry. To enhance imbued taste, we add a little salt and mix well. Mung bean is peeled, steamed and finely crushed.

The most important stage to make this dish is mixing rice and crushed mung bean which requires absolute delicacy. The cook have to be exceptionally skillful to evenly coat every rice grains with crushed mung bean. The know-how lies in rice cooling process. When sticky rice is cooked, we should ladle it into a tray, gradually stir and fan continuously so that rice grains do not stick together.

Sticky rice with sweet tapioca soup (Xôi Chè) to be served with black bean sweet soup, Ba Cot, areca flower sweet soup or more simply, with sweet tapioca soup. Each of them has its own exceptional taste: Ba cot sweet soup has warm ginger flavor while areca flower, tapioca sweet soup have charming pomelo flower, jasmine fragrance. The harmonious combination of sweet soup and mung bean coated sticky rice makes a wonderful and unforgetable taste.

A Brief Introduction of The Corn sticky rice (Xôi Ngô)

Corn sticky rice (Xôi Ngô) is a rustic and idyllic breakfast food for students and workers. Xoi ngo Ha noi, especially in Tuong Mai Commune, is particularly tasty.

Corn sticky rice (Xôi Ngô) is rustic but it is not simple to cook well. Beside glutinous rice, corn is also chosen carefully. Corn grains used in processing must be evenly large, and plump. Corn grains are washed carefully, soaked in slaked lime water then boiled thoroughly. The cook pours cooked corn into closely-woven basket, washes carefully to deodorize slaked lime smell, leaves to cool down, mixes with rice and a little salt and finally brings to steam. Cooked sticky rice has eye-catching lemon yellow color. Rice and corn grains are soft, plump and stick together.

Finely crushed steamed mung beans is indispensable in this dish. Sticky rice is ladled into a leaf, covered with a layer of crushed mung bean on the top, drizzled with a little fat liquid and sprinkled some dried shallot. Enjoying a little rice, we can feel buttery taste of mung beans, sweet taste of corn and greasy taste of rice. That is such an interesting combination. Xoi ngo is often wrapped in fresh lotus leaves, but sometimes we can use banana leaves or phrynium in stead.