Xôi – steamed sticky rice

If you want to have an insight into the intricates and traditions of Vietnamese food, you should not miss “Xôi”, which is one of our most popular and oldest street foods. “Xôi” is the term of steamed sticky rice that varies in dozens of kinds and tastes. It is a delicious, easily found and pretty cheap Vietnamese dish.

Wandering around Hanoi, you will have no difficulty finding a store or vendor selling “Xôi” on almost every main street or down many sides streets and alleyways. I highly recommend that you spend time visiting the two famous stores: Mrs. Thao’s on Hang Dieu St and Mr. Tung’s on Mai Hac De St. But should you be interested in cooking “Xôi” on your own, here is the recipe. Prepare glutinous rice, salt, sugar and oil. Firstly, keep the rice in salted water in 3 hours, then rinse it with fresh water. Next, season glutinous rice and mix all properly. Now put the concoction into your rice cooker, add water following this golden ratio: 1.5 cup of water for one cup of rice. When the cooking is done, serve steamed sticky rice with steamed pork, pork pie, salted shredded meat, fried shallots or any toppings you like.

Address:

Mrs. Thao’s store:
41 Đường Thành Street, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi
Tel: (+84) 3828 5182
Opening hours: 06.30 AM– 22:30 PM

Mr. Tung’s store:
75 Mai Hắc Đế Street, Hai Bà Trưng District, Hanoi
Opening hours: 07:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Xôi chè – steamed sticky rice with sweet gruel

You might now have the thought that there are so many ways to enjoy this dish but then it suddenly comes to your mind that: Is that all? The answer is No. Have you ever heard of “Xôi chè”? I guess you not.

“Xôi chè” is a traditional Northern dessert which is cooked every full moon and Lunar New Year. It consists of two main parts: mung bean steamed sticky rice and sweet gruel. People use the tiny, tender, slightly sweet green beans, glutinous rice to make the former and tapico starch or arrowroot, sugar to make the latter. When the weather turns cold, though, mung bean steamed sticky rice can be served with another sweet gruel called “Chè Bà Cốt”.

There is no specific explanation for its name other than a related old saying of Vietnamese people that: “Con chim chích chòe … ông thầy ăn một, bà cốt ăn hai,còn cái thủ cái tai đem lên biếu chúa… ”. Considered as one of the most distinct sweet courses in Northern part of Vietnam, “Chè Bà Cốt” is always Hanoi people’s favourite dessert, especially in winter. It’s the harmony of glutinous rice, brown sugar and fresh ginger, which will warm you up as soon as you taste the very first spoonful. Try cooking “Xôi chè” in the way you prefer or if you have a chance to visit Vietnam, don’t forget to drop by Mrs. Thìn’s store in No 1, Bat Dan St, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi. It will definitely be a lasting memory of your trip, I promise.

Mung bean steamed sticky rice with sweet gruel: 

Mung bean steamed sticky rice with Chè Bà Cốt: 

Address:

Mrs. Thìn’s store:  1 Bát Đàn Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Opening hours: 9:00 AM- 22:00 PM