Golden Xôi Xéo, Xôi Vò, Mung Bean Sticky Rice

Three “golden” treasures of Vietnam: xôi xéo, xôi vò, mung bean sticky rice.

Born from humble sticky rice and mung beans, these three dishes – xôi xéo, xôi vò, and mung bean sticky rice – each boast a distinct charm. Xôi vò shines like a refined princess, xôi xéo warms the heart like a welcoming big sister, and mung bean sticky rice (xôi đậu xanh) comforts like a gentle village maiden.

Xôi Xéo

The name xôi xéo tickles the ear with its odd ring, but fear not, the revered 18th-century physician Hải Thượng Lãn Ông explains it with care in his Nữ Công Thắng Lãm, a guide to wholesome and easy Vietnamese dishes: “Xôi xéo demands two rounds of steaming. Place rice atop mung beans, steam until done, then xéo (blend them into one) and steam again.” (Phụ Nữ Publishing House, 1971, p. 30). So, “xéo” means to mingle mung beans with rice, like two souls entwined in a dance. Less fussy than xôi vò, xôi xéo comes together faster, earned the nickname xôi xổi (quick-cook sticky rice).

Swift yet tender, xôi xéo demands care. Rice and mung beans soak for hours, then steam twice. First, they soften, pause for a gentle nap, then steam again. Each grain, caressed by steam and time, blossoms into lustrous pearls beside golden mung bean velvet, all sparkling like culinary gems.

Today, xôi xéo sports a modern twist. A pinch of salt, a splash of gardenia leaf extract or turmeric, and careful steaming yield sticky rice radiant as a sunrise. Mung beans, no longer mixed in, transform into a velvety paste, seasoned and shaped into neat mounds. When a customer calls, the vendor slices thin, silken layers of bean paste atop the rice, then scatters golden fried shallots that perfume the air like a warm invitation.

For years, Hanoi’s Bát Đàn Street has cherished Mrs. Tuyến, a kind soul tending her modest xôi xéo stall. Raised in Phú Gia village of Phú Thượng Commune, once called Kẻ Gạ laying on the Red River’s southern banks, she hails from a place famed for its sticky rice craft:

“Kẻ Gạ boasts an ancient banyan tree,

A cooling river, and the art of cooking sticky rice.” (Folk verse)

Though the banyan tree has vanished, Phú Gia’s sticky rice legacy lives on, now proudly dubbed “Phú Thượng’s sticky rice village.” Mrs. Tuyến humbly claims no secret beyond her love for the craft and dogged diligence. As a six-year-old, she wiped leaves and sifted rice with her grandmother and mother. By her teens, she mastered soaking rice, picking beans, and steaming. For over forty years, she has toiled with rice and mung beans, crafting xôi xéo as warm and generous as her own heart.

Her bamboo basket steams with clouds of fragrant mist. A sturdy mat, woven from dark brown reeds, cradles plump rice grains. Mrs. Tuyến scoops golden xôi xéo onto a pale green dong leaf, backed by sturdy paper. Mung bean paste, soft as cotton, falls like delicate snowflakes. Fried shallots, crisp and golden as autumn sun, add a savory crunch. Xôi xéo delivers a nutty depth, a whisper of sweetness, and a touch of richness like a hug from home. This humble parcel of rice has sustained Hanoians through tough times and remained a cherished gift from the capital’s past.

A northern star, xôi xéo also shines in the south now. While northerners wrap it in lotus leaves only in summer, southerners embrace the lush green leaves year-round. Xôi xéo stalls bloom in many places. A jovial northerner, quick with words and skilled at rice, has won over Saigon’s hearts at a Tân Bình sidewalk stall for xôi xéo. Though the line stretches long, customers wait with smiles. Laughter, the aroma of rice, and the faint scent of lotus leaves kick off the day with a burst of joy.

Xôi Vò

Xôi vò, a regal beauty, claims the crown as the most intricate sticky rice dish. After the first steam, mung beans and rice endure a patient hand-rubbing ritual (“vò” in Vietnamese), coating each grain in a fine, smooth bean dust that glows like a full moon’s light. A second steam binds them together, as inseparable as star-crossed lovers.

Exquisite and laborious, xôi vò once graced the groom’s wedding tray, offered to the bride’s family. A northern lad once asked a girl to mend his shirt, promising a grand repayment when she wed:

“I’ll gift you a basket of xôi vò,

A plump pig, a jar of rice wine.

A mat for your bed, a blanket to hold you, 

and earrings to make your eyes bright.” (Folk verse)

The lad’s sly plan is clear: he’s just sweet-talking his way to a proposal! Meanwhile, a central Vietnamese suitor cuts straight to the chase:

“To wed you, I’ll bring eight jars of honey,

Nine baskets of white sticky rice, and ten trays of xôi vò.” (Folk verse)

He exaggerates a tad, but his heart’s in the right place, and surely she’ll blush and nod.

Xôi vò pairs with a sweet soup named chè hoa cau to form a time-honored northern delicacy called xôi chè. The sweet soup, fragrant with grapefruit blossoms and cool with tapioca starch, flows like a refreshing stream, softening the firm, chewy xôi vò. This duo appears on ancestral altars for full-moon offerings, memorial days, or sweltering afternoons as a cooling dessert for the family.

Journeying south, xôi vò finds an unexpected soulmate: fermented glutinous rice (cơm rượu). Like a match made in heaven, the subtle sweetness of xôi vò melds with the enchanting sweet of fermented rice, crafting a flavor that sweeps you off your feet. In old southern ceremonies for a baby’s first month or first birthday, xôi vò, black-eyed pea sweet soup, and fermented glutinous rice stood together, like sweet blessings for the newborn.

Mung Bean Sticky Rice

Mung bean sticky rice, humble as a country lass, brings comfort across Vietnam’s three regions. Simple soaked rice and green-husked mung beans are cooked together, yielding a dish pale green as spring’s first leaves. The scent of fresh rice blends with the earthy richness of beans as a dearly folk song of the countryside.

Who’s its perfect match? Sesame salt or peanut salt. Sesame salt brings a bold savory zing, while peanut salt flirts with sweet and salty charm. I love peanut salt best – chewy rice, crunchy nuts, and a salt or sugar twinkle. Such bliss!

A morning parcel of mung bean sticky rice from a kind old vendor at the street corner often comes with shredded coconut, white as snow and crisp with a creamy snap. Other vendors add a drizzle of fragrant scallion oil or elevate it with silky Viet ham, cinnamon ham or fluffy pork floss. In Quảng Ngãi, they go all out, pairing mung bean sticky rice with grilled chicken, a feast fit for a village festival. A Quảng Ngãi girl once teased her suitor:

“You heartless man,

At yesterday’s memorial, you didn’t share a pinch of sticky rice.”

He shot back, cool as a cucumber:

“For the memorial, I skipped the incense,

And the sticky rice? Too far to carry.”    (Folk verse)

His thrift and bluntness, as plain as mung bean sticky rice, make him impossible to dislike!

Vietnam’s sticky rice family brims with variety, yet it’s no coincidence that Hải Thượng Lãn Ông crowned xôi xéo, xôi vò, and mung bean sticky rice in his book Nữ Công Thắng Lãm. These dishes, beloved and wholesome, truly steal the show. 

Vietnam’s culinary riches brim with wholesome, flavorful treasures. How well do you know this lively heritage? If you’re new to its wonders, come explore more delights with me! 

mlefood – Minh Lê