Xoi Bap Sticky Rice with Hominy and Mung beans

Xoi bap is a sweet and savory sticky rice that we love to eat. In the street corners of Vietnam, students and workers alike, scurry to grab a hot serving of xoi bap wrapped in banana leaves before rushing off to school or work. Unwrapping the banana leaves reveal a great mixture of sticky rice, subtly sweet hominy (bap means corn), mung beans, topped with fried shallots and sugar. Both sweet and savory, we think it's not just for great for breakfast but good anytime of day. In this case, the banana leaves are used more as a serving vessel and not essential to the recipe.

Xoi Bap Recipe (Sticky Rice with Hominy and Mung Beans)
Printable Recipe

• 1.5 cup glutinous rice (soaked in water overnight and drained)
• 1 32 oz can of white hominy, drained
  
• 1/2 cup split and deshelled mung beans (soaked in water overnight and drained)
• 1/2 ts salt
• fried shallots
• sugar
• Steamer or Sticky Rice Bamboo steamer
• muslin fabric or cheesecloth
  

If you have two steamer trays, you can steam both the rice and mung beans at once. If not, do each separately.

Bring a steamer to boil. Place muslin fabric over the steamer tray and add the glutinous rice and hominy. Season with salt and mix well. Steam until rice is soft, clear, and sticky but not too mushy, about 15 minutes or so. Remove and place in serving bowl. Hominy is precooked and ready to eat out of the can, so the purpose of cooking it with the rice is for it to be incorporate it into the sticky rice. If you add the hominy after the rice is fully cooked, it doesn't stick to the rice as well.

Now steam the mung beans in a similar manner until you can easily crush a grain of mung bean with your fingers, about 15 minutes. Remove and add to small bowl and lightly crush and fluff with a spoon. Place this on top of the rice and hominy mixture. Generously sprinkle fried shallots and sugar on top and enjoy. You can also use the sesame, peanut, sugar and salt mixture as well.

I brought this into work one time and my coworkers really enjoyed it. Xoi la dua is sweet and xoi man is savory, but xoi bap is both. It's a great snack for breakfast or anytime of day!