Xôi Sắn (Cassava Sticky Rice) is one of the most nostalgic and beloved dishes from Hanoi, especially when the weather turns cold. This humble dish has roots stretching back generations, to a time when rice was scarce and families had to make the most of what they had. My parents’ and grandparents’ generations would dig up cassava roots and mix them with rice to stretch their meals and make the more filling.
Over time, what began a dish born out of necessity evolved into a street food classic. Nowadays, Cassava Sticky Rice is served steaming hot from street stalls in Hanoi, often topped with fragrant spring onion oil and crispy fried shallots. These simple additions bring the dish to a whole new level of flavour and texture.
At home, I often serve Xôi Sắn with steamed Vietnamese Pork Sausage Roll or Hanoi Cinnamon Pork Sausage – or both – just like our dinner tonight. It’s comforting, fragrant, incredibly easy to make once you know the simple steps.
What you need to make Xôi Sắn at home
Cassava is now easily available in most Oriental or South Asian food shops in the UK, so it’s much easier to recreate Xôi Sắn (Cassava Sticky Rice) at home. If you’re new to cassava, you can learn more about it here.
Ingredients
- Glutinous (sticky) rice
- Cassava – peeled and chopped
- Salt
- Olive oil for frying and drizzling
- Red shallots – thinly sliced
- Spring onions – green part only, chopped
Optional to serve: steamed Vietnamese pork sausage roll, Hanoi cinnamon pork sausage.
How to make Cassava Sticky Rice
Soak the glutinous rice
I always keep Vietnamese glutinous rice (nếp cái hoa vàng) at home because it’s perfect for both savoury and sweet dishes. Its round grains and delicate aroma make a big difference to the final texture. If you can’t find it, Thai glutinous rice is a good alternative.
Rinse the rice thoroughly and soak it for several hour, or ideally overnight. To shorten the soaking time, you can use warm water instead of cold. About 30 minutes before cooking, drain and rinse again, then leave it aside to dry slightly.
Prepare and soak the cassava
Peel the thick brown skin from the cassava and chop the white flesh into thumb-sized chunks. Soak these pieces in lightly salted water (about 1/2 teaspoon salt) for three to four hours. This helps remove the white resin, which can taste bitter. After soaking, drain and rinse well before mixing with the rice.
Cook the cassava sticky rice
Before cooking, combine the soaked rice and cassava pieces in a colander. Add one teaspoon of salt and gently toss everything together to ensure flavours are evenly distributed.
Method 1 – Rice cooker
This is the quicker option. Transfer the rice and cassava mixture into your rice cooker, add just enough water to sit slightly above the level of the rice and press Cook. After about 30-35 minutes, open the lid, drizzle some oil (or onion oil, details in the below) over, stir gently and cook again for a shorter cycle to finish.
Method 2 – Steamer (traditional way)
For the best texture, steaming is my favourite method and the most traditional one in Vietnam. Bring the steamer to a boil and line it with a muslin cloth or net bag to make removal easier later. Add the rice and cassava, cover and steam over low-medium heat for 35 minutes.
Make the fried shallots and spring onion oil
While the rice is steaming, heat a generous amount of oil in a small saucepan and add the sliced shallots. Fry over medium heat until they turn golden then immediately remove from heat and strain the oil to stop further cooking. Set the fried shallots aside and reserve about two tablespoons of the fragrant oil.
Reheat the remaining oil, then quickly add the chopped spring onions and stir for just a few seconds before removing from heat. The spring onions should stay bright green and lightly cooked, this becomes your spring onion oil.
Steam again and finish
Once the first 35 minutes of steaming are done, remove the muslin bag from the steamer and transfer the rice and cassava to a large plate. Drizzle the reserved onion oil over and gently mix without breaking the cassava pieces. Let it rest for five minutes then return it to the steamer for another 15-20 minutes, with a few pandan leaves for fragrance (optional).
When finished, drizzle the spring onion oil all over and top generously with the crispy fried shallots.
Serving the Hanoi Cassava Sticky Rice
Serve Xôi Sắn (Cassava Sticky Rice) warm, ideally with Vietnamese sausages or simply on its own. The sticky rice is beautifully soft, while the cassava gives it a lovely chewy texture – similar to potatoes but slightly denser. The combination of spring onion oil and crispy fried shallots makes each bite full of aroma and flavour.
It’s simple, hearty and deeply nostalgic – a true taste of Hanoi’s street food culture brought right to your kitchen.
Enjoy!
Do you know cassava can be a key ingredient for puddings too? Check out my Vietnamese Cassava Sweet Soup (Chè Sắn) – a comforting dessert that perfectly showcases cassava’s natural sweetness and texture.
Hanoi Street Food – Xôi Sắn (Cassava Sticky Rice)
Description
Hanoi Street Food – Xoi San (Cassava Sticky Rice) is one of the most comforting and nostalgic dishes from Northern Vietnam. This dish beautifully combines glutinous rice and cassava for a chewy, fragrant texture that’s both simple and satisfying. Topped with crispy fried shallots and spring onion oil, it’s a dish that captures the warmth and soul of Hanoi’s street food culture.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Soak the glutinous rice
- Rinse the rice thoroughly and soak for several hours or overnight.
- Drain, rinse again and leave to dry for about 30 minutes before cooking.
-
Prepare and soak the cassava
- Peel off the thick brown skin, cut into thumb-sized pieces and soak in lightly salted water for 3-4 hours (1/2 teaspoon salt).
- Drain and rinse well.
-
Mix rice and cassava
- Combine the soaked rice and cassava in a bowl with one teaspoon of salt.
- Gently toss to mix evenly.
-
Cook the Xôi Sắn
- Rice cooker method:
- Add the mixture into the rice cooker, pour water just above the level of rice and press Cook.
- Once done (about 30-35 minutes), drizzle with oil, stir gently and cook again briefly.
- Steaming method:
- Line a steamer with muslin cloth, add the mixture and steam over medium heat for 35 minutes.
- Rice cooker method:
-
Make the fried shallots and spring onion oil
- Fry sliced shallots in oil until golden.
- Strain, reserving two tablespoons of the oil.
- Reheat the remaining oil, add chopped spring onions, stir briefly and remove from heat immediately.
-
Finish steaming
- After 35 minutes, drizzle the reserved onion oil over the rice and cassava.
- Gently mix, rest for 5 minutes and steam again for another 15-20 minutes.
-
Serve
- Top with spring onion oil and fried shallots.
- Serve warm, ideally with Vietnamese sausages.
