Xoi Vo (Mung Bean Coated Sticky Rice)
- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 60 minutes
“Xoi vo” is an indispensable cuisine in Vietnamese tradition, as it appears in many ritual ceremonies, especially weddings and “le day thang”- a celebration of the baby’s first month old. If you plan to make Xoi Vo, soak the rice the night before to avoid long waiting time.
Photo: @lenguyenhuongtra
Ingredients
- 2 cup of sweet rice
- 2 cup mung beans (peeled or dehull and split)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup coconut milk
- 2 tsp oil
Preparation
- Wash the sticky rice and soak it for 8-12 hours in water. To reduce soaking time, you can use warm water. Wash the mung beans and soak them separately overnight.
- After soaking, carefully wash both the rice and the beans, then set them aside. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the beans and steam them until fully cooked, soft, and fluffy (alternatively, you can use a rice cooker to prepare the beans). Divide the cooked beans into two portions.
- Mix one portion of the beans with the washed rice, then add 2 teaspoons of oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Steam this mixture over medium heat until fully cooked. Stir in 2/3 cup of coconut milk. Once cooked, set the rice mixture on a plate to cool.
- Coarsely grind the other portion of the beans with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add this mixture to the cooked rice and steam for an additional 5 minutes. Once finished, transfer the rice to a plate and serve it warm or cold.

Óc trần lá ngải
Óc trần lá ngải is listed among the most horror foods for foreign visitors in Vietnam.

Grilled beef wrapped in wild betel leaf
Riding along the crowded streets of Saigon in the afternoon, people can often be attracted by a fragrant and spicy smell of seasoned grilled rolls of beef, stemming from moving-stalls blurred in the smoke from charcoal flame. This dish, wrapped up in wild betel leaf, has become a favorite snack of Vietnamese, particularly Saigonese, to serve with beer or wine.

Snakehead Congee
Snakehead fish congee can appear as a normal dish of the commoners, but to those who first taste, that dish served in hotpot style is quite a surprise.