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Sekai Gohan

Xôi Vò: Hanoi Sticky Rice Coated in Mung Bean

Servings 4 servings

Vietnamese xôi vò: glutinous rice coated in pale-golden mung bean powder, mounded loosely in a shallow bowl
Steps with photos

Ingredients

Ingredient Amount Role
Glutinous (sticky) rice (gạo nếp) 7 oz (200 g), a scant 1 cup The chewy, sweet core of each grain
Peeled split mung beans (đậu xanh) 3½ oz (100 g), a scant ½ cup Steamed, ground and rubbed on as the golden coat
Salt (muối) ½ tsp + ⅛ tsp, divided ⅛ tsp seasons the beans, ½ tsp seasons the rice
Neutral cooking oil 1 tbsp Coats the raw grains for gloss and helps them separate

Steps

  1. 1Rinse and soak the rice

    Put the rice in a bowl of cool water and swirl it with your hand until the water turns cloudy. Pour the water off and repeat until it runs almost clear. Cover the rice with plenty of fresh water and leave it to soak for 2 to 4 hours.

  2. 2Soak the mung beans in a separate bowl

    Rinse the split mung beans the same way, washing until the water is clear, since cloudy water left on them can turn the rice sour. Cover them generously with fresh water in their own bowl and soak for 2 to 4 hours alongside the rice. On a hot day, put both bowls in the refrigerator to soak.

  3. 3Steam the beans until soft

    Line the steamer basket with a damp cloth and bring the water in the pot to a boil. Drain the beans, toss them with ⅛ tsp salt and spread them evenly over the cloth. Cover and steam for about 20 minutes. They are done when a bean presses flat under your fingertip with no grit in the middle.

    Steam

    Lift the steamer lid away from your face, tilting the far edge up first. Steam burns faster than boiling water, so use a cloth to handle the basket.

  4. 4Cool the beans and grind them to powder

    Tip the steamed beans onto a plate and let them cool slightly so the surface moisture steams off. Move them to a food processor or chopper and grind in short bursts, stopping to scrape the sides and stir between each. Keep going until the beans are a fine, pale-golden, flour-like powder. When you rub a pinch between your fingers and feel no coarse bits, divide the powder into two equal halves.

  5. 5Drain the rice and toss it with half the powder

    While the beans steam, drain the rice in a colander and let it sit so the water runs off. Blot the grains with paper towels until they feel dry to the touch. Put the rice in a wide bowl and add one half of the bean powder, ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp oil. Toss with your hands until every grain is glossy and lightly dusted, and the rice still looks mostly white.

  6. 6Steam the rice

    Keep the water in the pot low, so it does not bubble up through the basket. Spread the rice in a shallow, even layer over the damp cloth in the steamer. If your steamer is metal, wrap the lid in a thin kitchen towel so condensation does not drip back onto the rice. Steam for 25 to 30 minutes, then taste one grain: it should be soft all the way through, with no chalky core, and if not, steam a few minutes more and taste again.

  7. 7Rub in the rest of the powder

    Turn the rice out onto a wide tray and let it cool slightly, until you can handle it comfortably. Scatter the second half of the bean powder over it. Rub the rice gently between your palms and fingertips, breaking up every clump you feel. Stop when the grains fall apart on their own and the whole tray has turned yellow-gold.

  8. 8Mound it and serve warm

    Spoon the xôi vò into bowls, heaping it loosely without pressing it down. Serve it while it is still warm, since the grains firm up as they cool. Some powder will stay behind on the tray and on your hands, which is normal. A spoonful lifted with chopsticks should shed single grains rather than come up as one lump.