With its unique preparation and flavor, sentinel crab sticky rice offers a distinctive twist on traditional sticky rice, elevating this humble dish to a new level of gourmet.
The dish starts with Dien Bien sticky rice, renowned for its stickiness, sweet taste, and delightful aroma. After cooking, the sticky rice is divided into two portions. One portion is pressed into a thin layer along the inside of a stainless steel bowl, deep-fried, and shaped like a bowl. The remaining sticky rice is thoroughly mixed with sentinel crab meat, meat floss, scallion oil, and corn.
A small amount of shelled sentinel crab meat and fried shallots is added on top of the sticky rice. The deep-fried sticky rice bowl is then placed over the mixed sticky rice. Finally, a layer of meat floss, cilantro, seaweed, and aromatic herbs is sprinkled over the deep-fried sticky rice.
When eating, diners break through the crispy sticky rice to reach the mixed sticky rice with sentinel crab meat underneath. The fried shallots and cilantro give the dish an enticing aroma. The succulent crab meat blends perfectly with the sticky rice, resulting in a rich and satisfying taste.
Sentinel crab sticky rice maintains the traditional flavor profile of savory sticky rice dishes, but ingredients like seaweed and sweet corn add an unusual and delightful twist.
