Xôi in Vietnamese cuisine is steamed glutinous rice, and has a very long history. Because of its sticky texture, it is often translated as sticky rice. The Vietnamese often eat xôi with chicken, where the dish is called xôi gà. Traditional xôi gà or chicken xôi is made from xôi sticky rice, and boiled chicken. Nowadays, roasted chickens are more popular, and the dish is called xôi gà nướng.
To cook xôi, the Vietnamese used to steam glutinous rice in a special xôi cooker called chõ. However, modern cooks often cook xôi using a rice cooker. Using pandan leaves while steaming xôi adds extra fragrance to the rice. What you have to do is to prepare a bowl of pandan juice and you spray on the rice when it is nearly cooked. Vietnamese-style roasted chickens often get marinated with honey, but you can roast chicken your own way.
Soak glutinous rice for 6-8 hours, then drain. Use a mortar and pestle to pound the pandan leaves, and use hot water and squeeze the leaves to get the juice. Repeat several times to get a bowl of pandan juice, strain it to remove the impurities. Use a rice cooker to cook xôi and when the xôi is nearly done, sprinkle the pandan juice, and use a rice paddle to fluff the rice.
Clean the chicken drumsticks with a kitchen towel. In a large bowl, add chicken drumsticks, oyster sauce, soy sauce, granule seasoning, honey, dried chilli powder, minced spring onion bulbs. Use a knife tip to pierce the chicken skin so that the meat can get marinated better. Put the bowl into the fridge and let the drumsticks get marinated overnight. Roast the drumsticks at 180°C (356°F) for 25 mins, and turn them over and continue to roast for another 15 mins.
Mold xôi sticky rice into sushi-sized rolls. In a serving plate, place xôi rolls along with a roasted chicken leg. Garnish with pickled vegetables and fried dried shallot flakes.
Alternately, you can cook xôi with crushed pandan leaves.
Vietnamese cuisine is the method of cooking, the principle of mixing spices and the general dining habits of all Vietnamese people in Vietnam. With a unique geography, climate, and cultural exchange, the cuisine of Vietnam is extremely diverse and rich. The characteristics of Vietnamese cuisine is the focus on the freshness, so Vietnamese dishes are generally perceived as delicious and healthy.
