Vietnam

The Socials of Sticky Rice

Vietnam is considered as one of the culinary superpowers of Southeast Asia with its subtle flavors but exemplary diversity. Vietnam is an agricultural country and its major crop is water rice. From this crop comes sticky glutinous rice, a specialty of Vietnam. Other valuable root crops include corn, potatoes, and cassava. From these comes two famous dishes: Sticky Rice and Cloudy Cake which Hoang Phuong Anh, wife of Vietnam’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, loves to cook.

Phuong Anh has always been fond of cooking. Born in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, she was a financial specialist who followed her husband HE Vu Viet Dung, Vietnam Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and has been in the Kingdom for almost a year. She gets her recipes from a friend who also loves cooking and together, they create culinary experiences both cherish.

STICKY RICE WITH BEAN AND ONION Sticky rice is a common food made from sticky glutinous rice steamed or cooked – a rustic dish which is very prevalent in many parts of Vietnam, originated from the North.

SERVINGS

3-4

TIME METHOD

30 MIN MIXED

Ingredients Preparation

DIFFICULTY

HARD

clean sticky rice cups glutinous rice cup green beans (without skin) teaspoon turmeric powder cup dried onions cup chicken fat teaspoon salt 1 2 1 1 2 ¼ ¾ 1.5

Tips Note To make the sticky rice taste better, you should choose the round grain glutinous rice. Time for soaking sticky rice: 8 hours or soaking overnight. Time for soaking green beans: 3 hours. Processing time: 1-1.5 hours. Take the rice to soak for at least 8 hours (or overnight) with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder to be sticky and rich in yellow, so that the sticky rice will reach the best level.

Before starting to cook, you clean up the rice to freed the smell of turmeric powder and let the rice dry.

Green beans are soaked in warm water for 3 hours and then drain and add half a teaspoon of salt.

For non-crispy onions you need to peel them off, cut them thinly, spread out the drying tray for about 5 minutes.

Fry chicken fat to be liquid.

Preparation

Wait when the rice cooker switches to warm mode, then mix it with chopsticks.

Then cover the lid and wait another 15-20 minutes for the rice to be well-done.

Cook green beans Put green beans in steamed bowl, use chopsticks to make few small holes on the surface so the beans can be evenly cooked. Steam the beans for about 15-20 minutes, then use your hand to check the beans to be smooth.

Prepare the rounded beans: After the beans are cooked, grind them in a blender or a mill. Grasp beans into round balls.

You need to hold the beans when the beans are still warm, the round balls will stick well, the beans will not get loose when sliced.

Prepare the fried onions: To save oil, you should choose a small pot or deep fry pan to flood the onions.

Heat the oil and turn on the heat to simmer.

Then turn off the stove when the onions turn yellow.

You should not leave it for a long time because the onion will turn into a darker yellow. Finally, you take out the paper to absorb oil and wait for the oil to drain.

Take the cooked sticky rice from the rice cooker, sliced green beans onto the sticky face. Sprinkle on onion and a little oil used of chicken fat to fly up on the sticky rice, sticky, delicious and richer.

CLOUDY CAKE

Cloudy cake is a very familiar dessert cake, a delicate combination of green beans and fragrant pineapple flavor.

SERVINGS

8

Ingredients

2 cups tapioca ½ cup rice flour. 1 ¾ cups grated coconut or coconut milk 1 bunch pineapple leaves 1 ½ cup white sugar ¾ cup green beans 4 drops green food color ¼ teaspoon vanilla TIME METHOD

20 MIN MIXED

Preparation

DIFFICULTY

MEDIUM

Peel, clean and soak the green beans in warm water for 3-4 hours. Then put the beans in the pot, pour the water over the beans and cook.

When the beans are done, drain and mash them with 1 teaspoon of salt.

Wash, chop, crush and squeeze the juice from the pineapple leaves.

Split tapioca, rice flour and sugar into two parts. Mix one part with coconut milk, mashed green beans and 1 vanilla tube. To the remaining powder, add squeezed pineapple juice, coconut milk and stir. If you like, you can add 4 drops of green color to make the powder more beautiful.

Prepare a steamer with plenty of water, smooth a layer of cooking oil into the mold, put the mold in the pot, and pour each layer of mixture into the mold. After boiling, pour the next mixture, until the mold is full. It takes about 20 minutes to steam a cake.

When the last layer finishes, take the mold out of the pot, let it cool completely, and then turn upside down on the plate to pour out the cake.

SALAD 160 g dried burghul (a cereal sometimes called ‘bulgur’) 75 g Khidri dates (or any semi-soft dates, like Wanan or Kholas) 125 g chickpeas 125 g zucchini 100 g fava beans 50 g dried figs 50 g dried apricots 100 g tomatoes 1 medium sized onion 50 g parsley 50 g mixed lettuce (for side garnish) Salt and pepper (to taste)

LEMON DRESSING 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil 20 ml fresh lemon juice Serves 4

Soak the chickpeas in water for 24 hours, then boil for 25 to 30 minutes. Boil the burghul for 8 minutes. Strain both and set aside to cool. Add the fava beans to boiling water. After five minutes, strain, plunge into cold water and peel the beans. Cut the zucchini into thin green slices (use only the slices with peel). Season slices with salt and pepper, and brush generously with olive oil. Fry the zucchini in a little extra virgin olive oil. Dice the pan-fried zucchini, dried figs, dried apricots, Khidri dates, tomatoes, onion and parsley. Combine everything together along with a salad dressing of lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper. Serve in a bowl with mixed lettuce as a garnish.