Xoi, the sticky rice sold from a basket
On this page
Xoi is the breakfast nobody photographs and everybody eats. Glutinous rice, soaked overnight and steamed rather than boiled, heaped with whatever the stall does well, wrapped up and handed over in fifteen seconds.
Nothing hot costs less. Most of it is sold by a woman with a basket on the back of a bicycle, which is why visitors walk past it for two weeks without registering that it is a meal.
What is on top?
The topping is the whole distinction, and it splits savoury from sweet.
| Version | What is on it | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Xoi xeo | Mashed mung bean shaved over, fried shallots, pork fat | Hanoi and the north |
| Xoi ga | Shredded chicken, sometimes with broth | Nationwide |
| Xoi man | Sausage, pork floss, quail egg, pate | Nationwide |
| Xoi lac / xoi do den | Peanuts or black beans, salt and sesame | Everywhere, cheapest |
| Xoi gac | Bright red-orange from gac fruit, faintly sweet | Weddings and Tet |
| Xoi ngu sac | Five colours from plants, steamed together | Northern mountains |
Xoi xeo is the one to order first. The mung bean arrives as a compressed block, and the seller shaves it into flakes with a knife. Shallots go on last, and a spoonful of pork fat is standard, which is exactly why it tastes the way it does.
What does a packet of xoi cost?
Between 10,000 and 30,000 dong from a basket, and up to 50,000 at a shop with a counter of toppings. Xoi xeo, the standard Hanoi version, sits at 15,000 to 25,000. At about 26,000 dong to the dollar, that is under a dollar for a breakfast that lasts until two.
Xoi is the cheapest thing in the breakfast guide by some distance, because the rice does the work. A wrap of xoi is dense in a way a bowl of noodles is not.
Why is some of it purple?
Plants, not colouring bottles. Magenta plant leaves give the deep purple and gac fruit the red-orange. Turmeric gives the yellow, and butterfly pea flowers the blue that turns pink when lime juice hits it.
The five-coloured version, xoi ngu sac, belongs to the Tay and Thai communities of the northern mountains. It appears at festivals and market days around Bac Ha, Mai Chau and Ha Giang. Each colour has a meaning attached to it, and the whole pot is steamed at once with the grains kept separate.
Xoi gac is the other one you meet by accident. It is the bright orange rice at weddings and at Tet, where the colour is the point rather than the flavour. The Tet guide covers the rest of that table.
Where do you buy it?
From a basket, a bicycle, a plastic tub on a stool, or a shop with a queue. The good sellers are stationary and known, the same corner every morning for years. The queue at seven is the only review you need.
Timing is the constraint. Most are gone by nine or ten, since the whole point is the commute. A few cities keep an evening trade, and Hanoi is the best of them. Xoi with chicken is a late-night dish there as well as a morning one. The mornings guide explains why so much of this country's food happens before eight.
Can a vegetarian eat it?
Usually, with one question. Plain xoi with peanuts, black beans, mung bean or sesame is vegetarian as sold. The catch is the fried shallots, often cooked in pork fat, and the spoon of that fat that goes onto xoi xeo as standard.
Khong mo means without fat, and it is enough. The vegetarian guide covers the same trap in soups, where it is harder to see and harder to avoid.
How does it compare with the rest of the rice?
Xoi uses a different grain from the rice on a lunch plate: glutinous rather than long grain, sticky by nature rather than by cooking. The rice dishes guide covers the broken-rice and steamed-rice meals that fill the middle of the day.
Xoi belongs to the edges: the first hour of the morning, the last hour of the night, and the festival table. That is a fair summary of what it is for.
FAQ
What is xoi?
Glutinous rice, soaked and then steamed rather than boiled, served with something heaped on top and wrapped in banana leaf or paper to carry. It is a breakfast staple, a street snack and a festival dish depending on which version you meet.
Is xoi sweet or savoury?
Both, and the savoury versions are far more common. Xoi man carries fried shallots, shredded pork, sausage, quail eggs or chicken. Xoi ngot is the sweet side, coloured with mung bean, gac fruit or black sesame.
What does a portion cost?
Between 10,000 and 30,000 dong from a basket or a bicycle, and up to 50,000 at a shop with a full spread of toppings. At about 26,000 dong to the dollar, breakfast comes to well under a dollar.
Which xoi should you order first?
Xoi xeo in the north: sticky rice with mashed mung bean shaved over it, fried shallots and a spoon of pork fat. It is the version Hanoi eats and the one that explains why anybody bothers with rice for breakfast.
Why is some xoi bright purple or red?
Natural colourings, not dye. Purple comes from magenta plant leaves, red-orange from gac fruit, yellow from turmeric, and blue from butterfly pea flowers. The five-coloured version is a northern mountain speciality served at festivals.
What time of day is xoi sold?
Early, and until the basket is empty. Most sellers are out by nine or ten in the morning, though some cities keep an evening trade. Xoi is the fastest breakfast in Vietnam because it is already cooked when you arrive.
Can vegetarians eat xoi?
Often, with one check. Plain xoi with mung bean, peanut or sesame is vegetarian, but the fried shallots are usually cooked in pork fat and a spoonful of that fat is standard on xoi xeo. Ask for it without: khong mo.