Xôi xéo — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A comforting northern Vietnamese breakfast of turmeric-tinted sticky rice topped with a smooth mung bean paste, crispy fried shallots, and a drizzle of scallion oil, wrapped in a banana leaf for eating on the go.

Ingredients

400g glutinous sticky rice, soaked overnight
200g dried mung beans, hulled and soaked
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
3 spring onions, green parts only, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Banana leaves for wrapping (optional)

Instructions

1 Drain the soaked sticky rice, toss with turmeric, salt, and a tablespoon of oil until evenly colored, then steam for twenty-five minutes until tender.
2 Steam the soaked mung beans until very soft, about twenty minutes, then mash into a smooth paste with sugar and a tablespoon of oil.
3 Make the scallion oil by gently heating the remaining oil with chopped spring onions over low heat until fragrant and bright green.
4 Fry the sliced shallots in a separate pan until deeply golden and crispy, drain on paper towels.
5 Mound the turmeric sticky rice on plates or banana leaves, top with a generous layer of mung bean paste.
6 Drizzle scallion oil over the top and shower with crispy fried shallots before serving warm.

Did You Know?

Xoi xeo vendors in Hanoi's Old Quarter have been occupying the same street corners for generations, often passing the business from mother to daughter. The best-known stalls have lines stretching down the block before dawn.