In a country with a rich rice culture like Vietnam, rice-based products still hold an important place in the cuisine. Rice is present in most everyday dishes, from rice-centered family meals, to Phở, rice noodle, vermicelli, steamed rice roll…to traditional cakes such as Bánh Chưng, Bánh Dày… Besides, there is another extremely popular dish: steamed sticky rice (Vietnamese: Xôi).
The Ingredient of Sticky Rice
The main ingredient for making sticky rice is usually glutinous rice, though sometimes sticky rice is used. Except for the white sticky rice dish, which usually has only glutinous rice served with a little salt, most other types of sticky rice are combined with coloring agents, creating flavors such as pineapple leaves (green), gac fruit (red), and turmeric powder (yellow). Some ethnic groups (such as Tay, Nung, and Muong) use a variety of decoctions from leaves, tubers, and roots of various plants to create colorful sticky rice.
Other combined ingredients, such as green beans, black beans, peanuts, melon seeds, lotus seeds, cashews, corn, or foods of animal origin, such as meat, fish, or fruits, also give sticky rice its flavors and distinct quality.
Steamed Sticky Rice in the Vietnamese Culture and Life
No one knows when sticky rice appeared; however, many documents have recorded it since the time of King Hung. And although it is a popular dish, sticky rice is also a solemn symbol, so it has always appeared in important events and public holidays of Vietnamese people, such as the celebration of longevity, the incense–offering ceremony to thank heaven and earth, grandparents, ancestors; the celebration of the wedding ceremony or giving birth; Tet holiday…
Today, the habit of eating sticky rice among Vietnamese people has not been lost because of its convenience, quickness, and long-lasting satiety. Whether it’s sticky rice from sidewalk stalls or in luxury restaurants, it is also a familiar and delicate dish of the Vietnamese.
Varieties of Steamed Sticky Rice
Even when you sitting and thinking for a whole long day, it still can’t run out of versions of sticky rice, which are sticky rice mix with corn; sticky rice with chicken; sticky rice with mung bean filling with a coating of pandan leaves paste; sticky rice with peanuts; lam sticky rice (cooked in a tube of bamboo of the genus Neohouzeaua); sticky rice with pate and hams; subgum sticky rice; sticky rice with black urad beans; sticky rice made with aril and seeds of the gac fruit…
Up to now, it has been difficult for anyone to determine how many types of sticky rice there are in Vietnam. In each region, local people create a different type of sticky rice with a distinct flavor. In short, sticky rice can be divided into two types: savory and sweet.
Vietnamese sticky rice offers a variety of ingredients to eat with. In some northern provinces, sticky rice is served with smashed mung beans, fried onions, and rousong, or sticky rice with birds (the meat of pigeons, hoes, or sparrows).
Meanwhile, in Hue, people prefer to eat sticky rice with pork. Particularly in Nha Trang, there is a famous long-jawed anchovy sticky rice dish.
Coming to Kon Tum, you can’t miss the sticky rice with bamboo shoots full of sour, salty, spicy, fatty, and fleshy flavors.
Saigoners have a wider variety of toppings, including thinly sliced pork rolls, pate, quail eggs, sausages, pork belly rub, onion fat, etc.
When enjoying the variety of steamed sticky rice, you will come closer to the heart of Vietnamese culture, enhancing health and flavor in every bite. Embark on this food tour in Vietnam to discover the unique flavors of the country’s dishes.
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