Hanoi
The art of making Xoi in Hanoi
For many Hanoi people, Xoi (steamed glutinous rice) is not just a kind of food but also a subtle role in Vietnamese cuisine.
For many Hanoi people, Xoi (steamed glutinous rice) is not only a common delicacy but also plays a subtle role in Vietnamese cuisine, demonstrating from the use of ingredients as well as the art of eating.
Xoi can be easily found at any corner of Vietnam; however, only in Hanoi, Xoi can emphasize the harmony of flavours and colours. There are xoi lac (glutinous rice steamed with peanuts), xoi dau xanh (glutinous rice with mung beans), xoi dau den (glutinous rice with black beans), xoi gac (glutinous rice with bright red colour from Gac fruit), xoi trang (white plain glutinous rice), xoi xeo (glutinous rice colored yellow, topped with fried onion and ground mung beans), xoi vo (glutinous rice cooked with split peas), xoi vung dua (steamed glutinous rice with sliced coconut added with sesame seeds), xoi com dua (sticky rice with sliced coconut added with green sticky rice), xoi gac nhan dau xanh (sticky rice with mung bean and Gac fruit) and so on. For Hanoi people, each type of Xoi brings different savours and is eaten with various foods.
Xoi trang (white plain glutinous rice) goes with stingy salty dried pork, Chinese braised pork, Vietnamese ham and Chinese-like sausage to make it pliable and keep its smell. Sticky rice with Gac fruit has a pure sweet taste, often eaten with grease sausage. Xoi lac (sticky rice steamed with peanuts) and xoi dau xanh (sticky rice with mung beans) with a tranquil and elegant appearance coming from pure colour are usually mixed with sesame and stingy salty dried pork. Besides, the white of the plump glutinous rice, the bright yellow of mung bean and the meaty savour of crunchy deep fried shallots mix and match perfectly to make an eye-catching xoi xeo.
Xoi khuc (Glutinous rice dumpling) is also a unique part of Hanoi’s cuisine, which has a great aromatic scent, chewiness of rice seed, buttery taste of mung beans and fiery flavor of pepper. To make a delicious sticky rice dish with extraordinary softness, the chef has to take pains to select rice and mung beans then soak and steam them well. And the secret of the tasty Xoi lies in the family recipe which only senior sellers in Hanoi have.
In the colorful world of Hanoi’s culinary, Xoi is not only familiar through street cries, but many Xoi vendors have become the brand because of their distinct beauty. Many people often pay compliments to xoi Ke Ga (the former name of Phu Thuong, Tay Ho) because of its unique taste and the fragrance of the well-steamed rice making anyone who once tried it be entangled. Villagers from Ke Ga revealed that if we want to make a delicious sticky rice dish, high-qualified glutinous rice must be carefully selected. Rice was soaked the previous morning, shaken several times, rinsed it thoroughly then drained well. To cook Xoi with beans, we need to choose even, plump mung beans that are peeled and split then soak them in the water. After a while mix them with dried rice. Mixing beans and rice must be in the right way. We need to shake several times to make cooked sticky rice fresh, not being crumpled. Ke Gạ villagers are often proud of their popular flavour with fresh and unbroken rice seeds. They brought the fragrance of Xoi around Hanoi. They have cooked all types of Xoi, from breakfast to offering to workship, wedding dishes, reception foods, even Xoi is used as a gift for foreigners.
People who especially love eating xoi xeo in the winter often drop in senior Xoi restaurant in Bat Dan or Tuong Mai street. Xoi xeo is unusually characterized as mild-coloured in which the slight yellow blends with the cool blue. Even standing a dozen meters away, we are still attracted by the unique, hard-to-mix and hard-to-forget scent here.
Hanoi also has many Xoi restaurants such as Xoi Yen on Nguyen Huu Huan Street – one of long-established restaurant in Hanoi; xoi trung on Tho Nhuom street not too picky in display is only served with omelette, braised eggs, meat, sausage but sticky rice seeds are still very soft. With a plenty of countless vendors with distinctive flavors, Xoi exists in the hearts of Hanoi people as well as an integral part of the capital city, especially in the winter days.
Xoi xeo - a familiar breakfast with many Hanoians.
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The beautiful mixture of Xoi with Gac Fruit and bean.
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Xoi khuc (Glutinous rice dumpling) is also a unique part of Hanoi’s cuisine, which has a great aromatic scent, chewiness of rice seed, buttery taste of mung beans and fiery flavor of pepper. To make a delicious sticky rice dish with extraordinary softness, the chef has to take pains to select rice and mung beans then soak and steam them well. And the secret of the tasty Xoi lies in the family recipe which only senior sellers in Hanoi have.
In the colorful world of Hanoi’s culinary, Xoi is not only familiar through street cries, but many Xoi vendors have become the brand because of their distinct beauty. Many people often pay compliments to xoi Ke Ga (the former name of Phu Thuong, Tay Ho) because of its unique taste and the fragrance of the well-steamed rice making anyone who once tried it be entangled. Villagers from Ke Ga revealed that if we want to make a delicious sticky rice dish, high-qualified glutinous rice must be carefully selected. Rice was soaked the previous morning, shaken several times, rinsed it thoroughly then drained well. To cook Xoi with beans, we need to choose even, plump mung beans that are peeled and split then soak them in the water. After a while mix them with dried rice. Mixing beans and rice must be in the right way. We need to shake several times to make cooked sticky rice fresh, not being crumpled. Ke Gạ villagers are often proud of their popular flavour with fresh and unbroken rice seeds. They brought the fragrance of Xoi around Hanoi. They have cooked all types of Xoi, from breakfast to offering to workship, wedding dishes, reception foods, even Xoi is used as a gift for foreigners.
People who especially love eating xoi xeo in the winter often drop in senior Xoi restaurant in Bat Dan or Tuong Mai street. Xoi xeo is unusually characterized as mild-coloured in which the slight yellow blends with the cool blue. Even standing a dozen meters away, we are still attracted by the unique, hard-to-mix and hard-to-forget scent here.
Hanoi also has many Xoi restaurants such as Xoi Yen on Nguyen Huu Huan Street – one of long-established restaurant in Hanoi; xoi trung on Tho Nhuom street not too picky in display is only served with omelette, braised eggs, meat, sausage but sticky rice seeds are still very soft. With a plenty of countless vendors with distinctive flavors, Xoi exists in the hearts of Hanoi people as well as an integral part of the capital city, especially in the winter days.
