Steamed Sticky Rice or Xoi is one of the most favorite and popular foods in Vietnam thanks to its low price, great taste, and rich nutrition. In Phan Thiet – the capital of Bình Thuận province, on the coast in Southeastern Vietnam, they have a special way to eat steamed sticky rice: filling a fried wheat flour cake with Xoi, then eating. Local people call this food Xoi Vo Banh Chien (Vo Steamed Sticky Rice and Fried Cake in Phan Thiet). The simple and familiar Xoi Vo Banh Chien has become a must-eat street food in the coastal Phan Thiet city.
Main ingredients to make Xoi Vo are glutinous rice and mung bean. Glutinous rice which has been soaked in water is mixed with well-kneaded cooked peeled mung beans, then the mixture is steamed into flavorful Xoi Vo. This Xoi is less sticky and less greasy than other kinds of Xoi. Chien cake is made from wheat flour, it is as small as an orange. The cake is fried in oil until crispy and yellow outside, tender and airy inside. The cake is also covered with sesame which enhances the cake’s flavor and smell. Chien cake is lightly sweet so that it really matches the greasy, sweet, buttery, and a little sticky Xoi Vo.
A portion of this food consists of a fried cake and some steamed sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf. The seller can help the buyer to cut the cake, then fill it with the steamed sticky rice. Some people prefer to eat the cake filled with the steamed sticky rice, but a little cake, then a little steamed sticky rice. Xoi Vo is better to eat hot so that the seller always keeps his food warm. In Phan Thiet, travelers can find Xoi Vo Banh Chien at any corner, on any street, at any wet market.
Steamed Sticky Rice and Fried Cake in Phan Thiet
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