Vietnamese Pop-up!
Well, it’s that time of year again! A pop-up event featuring yours truly – the team from Meat Your Vegetables!
Last July, Daniel and I hosted a very successful Indian pop-up night, and this year, we’re cooking Vietnamese on Sunday, November 17th at Congregation Ezras Israel in Chicago! Make sure you register for the event before it closes this Sunday, November 10th!
Recipes in the works
It’s no surprise that in order to get prepared for this exciting night of good food, we both did some research, cooking, and taste-testing!
As I was researching desserts, this creamy Vietnamese Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango, aka “xôi xoài” , or “mango sticky rice”, seemed to pop up a lot. My variation has lime zest and juice and topped with diced mango.
Is lime zest traditional in this recipe? Not necessarily, but that’s the beauty of creating a recipe – do something to put your own spin on it! I love the bright flavors of acidic fruits like lemons, limes and grapefruit and I thought the lime and cardamom in the pudding would be a great pairing. Turns out, it IS!
And here’s my TIP: instead of laboring over peeling and chopping a fresh mango (because we all know that’s annoying), buy frozen! It’ll save you so much time!
Low-carb options
Plus, if you want a low-carb option, try using cauliflower rice instead. This dessert can be completely 100% keto-friendly too, if you use a sugar substitute like Swerve, instead of white sugar. And the chopped pistachios on top add a nice bright crunch on top, but feel free to add chopped almonds or even peanuts for a crunchy kick! For this pop-up, we are serving 100% nut-free menu, due to a severe nut allergy with some of the congregants, but maybe we could add roasted sesame seeds on top. Even substitutions can be better than the original, right?
For all you local Chicagoans, check out this creamy coconut dessert recipe – just a preview for more Vietnamese recipes coming soon!
Don’t forget to check out Daniel’s pop-up preview recipe: Pho gà-Vietnamese Spiced Chicken Soup
Hope to see you at the pop-up on November 17th!
- 1/4 cup White Sugar Or sugar substitute like Swerve
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cardamom, plus more for serving
- 1 13 oz. Can of Coconut Milk Do not use light coconut milk as it will result in a watery consistency and flavor. Use full-fat coconut milk (but not coconut cream)
- 1/2 cup White rice (Arborio rice works great too) Rinse the rice under cold running water for 20-30 seconds; drain well
- 1 Lime, Zested & half juiced
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Mango cut up into chunks I love using frozen mango for this because it's so much easier than peeling and chopping!
- 1/4 cup Shelled, roasted pistachios (optional) I used sliced almonds because that's what I had handy!
- 2 1/2 cup Water
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Heat oven to 350F with a rack in the middle position
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In a bowl, mix together the sugar, salt and cardamom; set aside
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In a large pot, stir together the coconut milk and 2 1/2 cups of water; bring to a boil over medium-heat
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Once the water and milk is boiling, stir in the rice, sugar mixture and lime zest. Cut the lime in half and squeeze half the lime into the mixture.
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Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for 1 hour, until rice is tender and creamy
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Take the rice pudding out of the oven and add the vanilla extract and mix well
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Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve in individual bowls at warm or at room temp
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Garnish with more ground cardamom and chopped mango and/or chopped pistachios
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