Hanoi xôi cốm: young rice from Vòng village, lotus leaf and how to eat it in season

For Hanoians, cốm is the scent of autumn. Xôi cốm is the way of eating cốm that I find most complete: green young rice steamed with mung bean and grated coconut, wrapped in a lotus leaf that still smells fresh. It is at its best in season, when the cốm harvest comes in.

What cốm is and where it comes from

Cốm is young sticky rice, harvested in autumn, then roasted and pounded by hand. Cốm from Vòng village, on the outskirts of Hanoi, is the best known: it is made from a sticky rice variety called nếp cái hoa vàng, picked while the grain is still milky, then roasted and pounded the same day to keep the scent of new rice.

Roasting is the hardest step. The heat has to be just enough to cook the grain without making it brittle. Pounding must be gentle and even, and the husk is sifted out again and again. A good grain of cốm comes from no step being overdone.

What goes into xôi cốm

Xôi cốm is cốm steamed again together with finely mashed mung bean and grated coconut. At Bếp Kinh Kỳ the coconut is sautéed in rock sugar and the rice carries a touch of pandan.

It is a seasonal dish, usually sold in Hanoi from about the 8th to the 10th lunar month.

Choosing cốm for each dish

Not every cốm suits every dish. Mid-season cốm, with slightly firmer grains, is right for xôi, cốm patties and sweet soup. Early-season cốm is soft, flat and chewy, pale green turning a little yellow, and smells of new rice. It is better eaten on its own or stir-fried with coconut. Whoever steams xôi cốm has to know which cốm is in hand.

Why a lotus leaf

The lotus leaf keeps the fragrance of the cốm, and xôi cốm in lotus leaf tastes best while it is still warm. Many sellers use old lotus leaves tied with rice straw.

How to eat xôi cốm

1. Eat it the same day, while it is still warm and the lotus leaf is fragrant.
2. Take your time, in small bites, to notice the gentle sweetness of the cốm.
3. It goes well with ripe persimmon, small sweet bananas or a cup of lotus tea.

Eaten in a hurry it only tastes nutty; eaten slowly, the flavor lingers.

Xôi cốm at Bếp Kinh Kỳ

At Bếp Kinh Kỳ I steam xôi cốm to my family recipe, as in the years I worked in the kitchens of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. The cốm is steamed just until done, not mushy and not sticking to the fingers; the mung bean is finely mashed; the coconut is sautéed in rock sugar; and it is wrapped in lotus leaf.

Xôi cốm is made in pre-order batches.

See the Hanoi xôi cốm page