The taste of home in sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves.

In Hanoi, Saigon, and many other cities across the country, the image of a banana leaf has long been rare. This is because, in an era where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, people rarely see banana leaves. Therefore, urban dwellers, especially those who spent their childhood in the countryside, sometimes fondly remember the simple, rustic image of the banana leaf, a way to preserve that endearing, down-to-earth feel.

The delicious savory sticky rice dish is created from the combination of the chewy texture of sticky rice with the richness of fried shallots and the fragrant aroma of fried onions, along with the flavors of Vietnamese pork sausage, Chinese sausage, ham, shrimp, and peanuts. When enjoying corn sticky rice, diners will discover plump, sweet corn kernels cooked together with sticky rice. It is also served with mung beans, fried shallots, and a sweet, refreshing taste of white sugar.

Both dishes are delicious; however, their flavors aren't particularly outstanding compared to the savory or sweet sticky rice sold on the sidewalks every morning. But the banana leaf wrapping is the core element that gives the dish more character than many other places. It gives diners a feeling of appreciating something very rustic, very rural, yet incredibly beautiful. Or, viewed from another perspective, the banana leaf preserves old values ​​that are in danger of disappearing from urban life in the age of industrialization.

The Thanh