Sticky rice is considered the pinnacle of Trang An cuisine, only available during Tet. The sophistication and meticulousness of making ‘golden envelopes’ (silver-coated gold) beads have a rich aroma that everyone who enjoys them will remember forever.
Ingredient
( 6 )
- 600 grams of yellow flower sticky rice
- 300 gr green beans
- Spices: Sugar, salt, chicken fat
- A basket or tray of sticky rice
- Mortar and pestle pounding
- Towel
Making
- Choosing and soaking rice : In the past, Hanoi women chose steamed sticky rice that was thoroughly rubbed, usually yellow flower sticky rice or plump velvet sticky rice, when the sticky rice was fragrant and grainy. Wash the sticky rice and soak it in cold water for 6-8 hours until the sticky rice is fully hydrated. After soaking, rinse lightly and then spread it out into a bamboo basket underneath to place a towel to dry. This is the secret to making sticky rice so that when you crunch the seeds, the sticky rice will leave the seeds and not be sticky.
- Choose and soak green beans: Choose green beans that are as small as a pepper, bright yellow inside, green beans with the skin on are richer in flavor and have a more natural aroma. Soak the beans for 4 hours until soft, then remove the skin and wash them until the water is clear. Because if the water is still cloudy when the sticky rice is left for a long time, it can easily become sour. Then, pour the beans into a basket to drain.
- Green beans: Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, mix well with the green beans and then put in a steamer/pot. Be sure to use chopsticks to poke a few holes to let steam escape, helping the beans to cook evenly without being soggy and mushy. After 15 – 20 minutes, the beans will be cooked and will be soft and smooth.
- Scoop a little green beans into the mortar and pound while hot until smooth and smooth. If cooled, then pound heavily and very difficult. Wear gloves, grasp the beans into firm and smooth pieces like when making sticky rice.
- The first time of rolling rice and beans: According to the old experience of mothers, to be delicious, fried sticky rice must go through “3 times, 2 fires”, which means rollinggreenbeans with rice 3 times and making sticky rice 2 times. Mash the rice and beans for the first time: After drying the rice, pat it into pieces. Use a sharp knife to very thinly cut 1/2 of the green beans into round pieces into smooth slices to cover the rice. Wear gloves and rub gently to mix the beans evenly. sticky rice is looser. Just keep doing it until the end.
- Steamed sticky rice 1: Boil water in a steamer/pot, put a cloth on it, then pour rice mixed with beans into the pot, use chopsticks to poke a few big holes to let the heat escape, ventilate evenly, then cook the sticky rice. Cover the top with a cloth so that the water doesn’t stagnate and run down, making the sticky rice soggy. Occasionally open the lid to let out the steam that has accumulated in the lid, and stir until the sticky rice cooks evenly. After 30 – 35 minutes, when the sticky rice is fragrant and about 75 – 80% cooked, scoop it out and spread evenly.
- Additional spices: When the sticky rice is warm, add 2 – 3 tablespoons of sugar (adjust the amount according to personal taste) and spread evenly so that the sugar dissolves into the surface of the sticky rice to create a sticky layer when the beans are crushed a second time.
- Mash the sticky rice and beans a second time: Continue peeling/thinly grating the remaining green beans to cover the surface of the sticky rice. Wearing gloves, rub gently a second time until the beans mix with the sticky rice. Drizzle a little chicken fat, beat well until the sticky rice grains are shiny when cooked. 2.
- Cook the sticky rice on fire 2, rub the beans a third time: Continue to put the sticky rice on the cloth and put it in the basket/pot of the fire 2 for 15-20 minutes so that the sticky rice is deeply cooked, the sticky rice seeds will expand and become supple, even if left outside for a long time, it will not be spoiled. rice, grain. When the sticky rice is cooked, use chopsticks to scoop it out and spread it until it cools down, then continue to wear gloves and gently rub it a third time to evenly coat each white sticky rice grain inside.
- Finished product requirements : Each grain of sticky rice on the outside is covered with a smooth layer of green and apricot green beans, wrapped with each grain of plump, soft sticky rice on the inside, which is likened to ‘golden envelopes’ (gold covered with silver). When eaten, the taste is fleshy, chewy, with a little sweetness that harmonizes the taste. Xoi xeo may look simple on the outside, but it contains a lot of sophistication and sophistication of Hanoi people.
Attention:
- The secret to making sticky rice crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside is sticky rice with 3 rules of soaking – drying – parboiling. Green beans are also sophisticated with 5 steps of soaking – drying – cooking – pounding – grasping.
- The reason it’s called sticky rice is because you need to rub the thinly coated beans with sticky rice 3 times so that they stick together smoothly and each grain is loose.
- If you want the sticky rice to be kept soft and succulent for a long time, you must cook it twice over the fire.
- Depending on your taste, adjust the amount of sugar and sweetness individually.
- In addition to Hanoi sticky rice, Southern people also have sticky rice with its own regional characteristics when adding coconut milk to create an unforgettable greasy taste.