While HCM City has a well known xoi (steamed sticky rice) shop – ‘Xoi nha xac’ (Mortuary steamed stick rice), Hanoi has ‘xoi ban tho’ (Altar steamed sticky rice).

Xoi ban tho is located on De La Thanh street, which has a lot of wooden furniture shops. While the street is very bustling in the daytime with wooden furniture trade, it is very busy at night when food shops are full of diners.

The owner of Xoi ban tho is a woman, Tham, 38, who says the shop has been operating for 30 years. The previous shop owner was her aunt.

“My auntie leased the street-front house to a worship-object seller. But the seller only opened the shop in the daytime. Therefore, my auntie decided to use the retail premises to sell xoi at night,” she explained.

“The shop attracted more and more diners, and the retail premise area was limited. My auntie then used small wooden altars as tables for diners,” she continued.

“At first, many diners were afraid of sitting there eating xoi on altars (Vietnamese worship ancestors with xoi, which is put on the altar). But my auntie reassured them that the altars are just wooden tables, and they have not been used as altars. The products are just samples,” she explained.

“As time passed, diners were no longer afraid of altars and they whispered in each others’ ears that xoi ban tho is delicious and deserves a try,” she said.

Previously, Tham and her aunt sold xoi at No 528 De La Thanh street. But 10 years ago, when Tham became the owner, she moved the shop to a place nearby. At the new shop, diners sit on plastic chairs and eat on plastic tables.

Tham’s shop is clean and tidy with everything well displayed. There are about 20 types of toppings for xoi, including eggs, pork pie, grilled chopped meat, pate and sausage. There are also three pots of char siu, braised pork and stirred-fried chicken which are always hot as they are on stoves. 

In order to make delicious and glutinous sticky rice, she must choose high-quality Glutinous Roundgrain Rice. This type of rice is famous for its plump, round grains and natural aroma. 

"Before cooking, I have to wash the rice and then soak it in water for two hours,” she said, explaining that if the rice is soaked for too long, the steamed rice will be crushed, and if it is soaked for too short, the steamed rice will be dry and hard.

In addition to white steamed stick rice, the shop offers ‘xoi xeo’ (Vietnamese sticky rice with mung bean) and xoi ran (steamed sticky rice is fried). A bowl of steamed sticky rice is priced at VND25,000-50,000, served with rich meat sauce and sweet and sour crunchy pickles. Sticky rice is drizzled with rich meat sauce

The menu at the restaurant has many types of side dishes and various prices for diners’ choices, depending on their tastes.

Tham said ‘xiu mai’ (pork meatball) is the side dish that she is most of. After selecting fresh, delicious meat, she grinds it, seasons it with spices and shapes it to create even round balls. The meatballs are steamed and done to a turn, and then cooked in a special sauce prepared with her own recipe.

Tham also makes pate herself. "My pate has a balanced proportion of lean meat and fat, mixed with different spices such as five-spice powder, cinnamon and others to create a unique flavor that cannot be found elsewhere,” she said. “The steaming process must last 7-8 hours, so that the pate has smooth texture and rich flavor."

Sausage, meat pies, salted shredded meat are sourced from loyal prestigious suppliers.

Tham said she takes pride in her xoi shop and many diners have been clients for a decade. 

“They began eating xoi at my shop when they were students. And they still favour my xoi. Many of them are married and come here with their husbands or wives and children,” she said.

Linh Trang - Kim Ngan