Xoi Xeo – Not just a dish
If one morning, you wake up in a city filled with nostalgic melodies of Ha Thanh, you will probably hear an echoing but very gentle sound of advertising: “Ai… slant… dyke”. Then perhaps, you will wonder what “diagonal” is, and also curious to buy it to see what “diagonal” looks like? And when you buy it, you will know, it turns out that “xo” is the famous Hanoi dish of sticky rice for a long time.

Hanoians happily call that sticky rice is “a dish that chases you away, the more you chase it, the more you stop”, simply because of the word “xo” in the dish. But in another sense, the word “slanted” refers to the act of cutting green beans into even thin slices. Just one word can cut into quite interesting meanings, isn’t it! But no matter what it means, there is no denying the delicious and characteristic flavor of this famous sticky rice dish.
Traditionally, Hanoians often prepare sticky rice for breakfast. Because for many people, sticky rice is both delicious and combined from simple, easy-to-find ingredients and can be prepared without spending too much time. Moreover, sticky rice helps you to be firm, full for a long time, full of energy for a new working day.
The secret to cooking delicious Hanoi sticky rice
Ingredients for preparing Hanoi sticky rice
– Sticky rice: 300g
– Green beans: 200g
– Purple onion: 4 pieces
– Chicken fat: 100g
– Cotton scrub: 50gr
Note, with sticky rice, you should choose sticky rice with yellow flowers so that when the dish is processed, the sticky rice will not get wet when eaten hot and will not dry out when eaten cold. For green beans, choose peeled, eye-catching yellow.
Instructions on how to make Hanoi sticky rice

Step 1: Soak green beans and sticky rice
– When you buy glutinous rice, you put it in a large bowl, then add filtered water to soak until the sticky rice is soft. When soaking sticky rice, add a spoon of turmeric powder and stir to create a beautiful golden color for sticky rice. This is also a feature of the way to make sticky rice in Hanoi .
Similarly, you also put green beans in a large bowl and soak until soft.
Both sticky rice and green beans should be soaked for about 3-4 hours.
Step 2: Steamed green beans
– Soaked green beans are soft, you proceed to take them out and rinse many times with water until the water is clear. Then, put the green beans in the rice cooker, pour water to cover the beans, add ½ teaspoon of salt and cook.
– When the green beans are cooked, scoop them out into a bowl and roll them into big balls.
Step 3: Cook sticky rice
– Soft soaked glutinous rice, you also take it to rinse many times with water and then put it in the rice cooker, pour water about 1cm from the surface of the sticky rice. You note, the broth is very important, it determines the deliciousness of the sticky rice dish.
Step 4: Fry the purple onion
– You use chicken fat, fry until all the fat is gone, then add the red onion and fry until golden. Turn off the stove, then take out the onions immediately to avoid burning.
Step 5: Present and enjoy
– The ingredients are ready, now, you just need to scoop out the sticky rice on a plate, pour chicken fat on it, use a knife to thinly slice green beans on top, finally add fried onions, rub cotton and enjoy right away. this delicious dish.
– If you have lotus leaves or banana leaves, you can wrap them in these two types of leaves to make sticky rice more fragrant.
