Vietnamese Savoury Sticky Rice - Xoi Man (Cheat Version) - Scruff & Steph (2024)

My savoury sticky rice or xoi man in Vietnamese, is the perfect snack when you want something delicious for very little work! This popular Asian dish is flavoured with Chinese sausage, dried shrimp and fried onions. Using traditional methods this dish can take several hours to make but I have developed a simple recipe to take out much of the hard work, prep time and special equipment. It is truly a lazy way to making this delicious dish without sacrificing on taste.

It has been a while since my last post. These past few weeks have been a bit crazy with Tet (lunar new year) and my little girl’s 1st birthday. Originally, I had planned to get this post out before Tet but it has been somewhat of a nightmare. Planning and cooking food for 50+ guests for my daughter’s birthday was a massive challenge that took a lot of my time. Couple that with developing the most frustrating recipe I have ever experienced and you have a few weeks of fun, joy and happiness!!

I probably went through about 3 kg of glutinous rice before I was confident with the recipe. It was a very long and exhausting process but I am really happy with the outcome. This recipe requires less time and effort in comparison to other methods including:

• Removing the “overnight” soaking period for the sticky rice which most traditional recipes require. With this recipe you will only need to soak for 20 minutes.
• Using a microwave rather than a steamer, because (in Australia anyway) nearly everyone owns a microwave but steamers seem to be less common.
• Not calling for a container with a vented lid or plastic wrap as required by other microwave recipes. I have worked out you can get the same results just by using a normal, microwave-safe bowl and plate or a casserole dish.

My Tips for Success

1. If possible, use chopsticks to fluff up the rice instead of a spoon. Chopsticks are less like to break up the rice while fluffing it up (mixing / stirring).
2. When fluffing up (mixing / stirring) the rice, make sure to not forget the rice on the edges of the bowl. This is because the rice on the edges tend to dry out and go hard.
3. Always cook the Chinese sausage in a pan before adding it to the rice. You want the oils and fats of the Chinese sausage to come out and flavour the rice.
4. If you find water is overflowing out of the bowl and into your microwave, you will need a bigger bowl. The best equipment is a 2 L sized casserole dish with a lid.

This recipe now works for me every time, however I want to point out that every microwave is different so what works for me might need some tweaks to work for you.

Other Recipes You May Like

• Vietnamese Turnip Cake – Banh Bot Chien (cheat version)
• Chicken and Mushroom Rice in the Rice Cooker
• Vietnamese Red Coconut Sticky Rice – Xoi Gac (Cheat Version)
• My Cheat Vietnamese Sweet Coconut Sticky Rice – Xoi Nuoc Dua
• Mango Sticky Rice (Quick Version)

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– Scruff