The famous Thanh Nam sticky rice and pork dish has been passed down for three generations. The current owner is Mr. Ngo Tuan Anh (40 years old), who has taken over the family tradition of making sticky rice and pork dishes.
A portion of sticky rice with pork belly has white sticky rice served with a variety of toppings such as pate, dried pork floss, char siu, sausage, Chinese sausage... The two factors that many diners consider to be the highlights that create the special flavor of the traditional sticky rice with pork belly dish are sticky rice and sauce.
Mr. Tuan Anh shared: "All the dishes up to now are made according to the recipe from my grandfather's generation, nothing has changed. That's why, up to now, the rice my family chooses to cook sticky rice is Hai Hau sticky rice. After soaking, the rice will be steamed twice to make sticky rice. This step helps the sticky rice to always be soft, sticky and imbued with the aroma of sticky rice, very suitable for eating with toppings".
In addition to the way the sticky rice is prepared, the special thing about the sticky rice with pork belly that has been sold for 60 years and is still popular is the sauce. According to the owner, the eye-catching, thick sauce is made from bone broth and some spices.
"Xoi xiu is one of the delicious dishes in Nam Dinh. Among them, the xoi xiu restaurant on Hoang Van Thu street has been famous for decades. I have eaten at this restaurant for more than 20 years. The flavor of xoi xiu here impresses me with its sauce. Whenever the weather is cold, I really like to enjoy a bowl of hot xoi xiu with toppings, mixed with the rich sauce of stewed bones," said Ms. Pham Thu Hang (Nam Dinh city).
It is a small restaurant, with only a few plastic tables outside and inside. It is open all day, but the peak hours are in the morning and evening. Every day, Mr. Tuan Anh makes about 50-60kg of sticky rice and nearly 100kg of pork shoulder. Each portion of mixed sticky rice is sold for 20,000 VND, full of side dishes.
