Mr. Hoa's sticky rice shop is located in lane 67, Bach Dang street, Hanoi. Although it has only been open for two years, his brand of sticky rice with peach-shaped meat has quickly become famous, making every foodie stop by to try it. At 9am, customers were already lining up, and Mr. Hoa kept selling until the sticky rice was sold out.
A full portion of sticky rice includes pate, pork cheeks, soft-boiled eggs, Chinese sausage and sausage. Each portion costs from 25,000 to 50,000 VND.
The most famous dish here is sticky rice with pork cheek meat, also known as pork butt. This part of the meat has many soft tendons and little fat so it is not greasy. Because this part of the meat is rare, each pig only has 200-300 grams, so he has to order from many places to have enough quantity to sell.
Not only that, he is also very meticulous in the processing stage. First, clean the meat and put it on the stove to boil, then use a blowtorch to remove all the hair. Finally, the most important step is to marinate it with 17 spices according to his own secret recipe.
Mr. Hoa shared: "In the marinade, pepper and sticky rice cause heat, so I added pure green bean powder to harmonize the heat."
Usually, a portion of peach flesh is divided into five portions of sticky rice to sell. Although the price of peach flesh is not cheap, the owner always wants to ensure a full portion that is worth the money customers spend.
Next comes the fried eggs, to create the sun-like color, the restaurant uses turmeric. According to the owner, turmeric is not only good for health but also creates an eye-catching color for the dish.
He cracks the egg whites into the pan first, then adds the yolks, but he has to be very careful not to break them, which would ruin the aesthetic. As for making delicious pate, Mr. Hoa revealed that he inherited the recipe from a friend who is a chef at a French restaurant. He always chooses the best to serve diners near and far.
Mr. Hoa used to sell rice and pho, but due to health problems he stopped selling for 20 years. In the past, his wife sold sticky rice, he was only in charge of the processing, selling only 1 to 2 kg of sticky rice per day. Gradually, when the restaurant became famous for its roe meat, the couple sold about 10 to 12 kg a day, and now there are days when they sell 22 kg of sticky rice. Many people have "encouraged" him to sell sticky rice all day, but he refused because his health does not allow it.
