Xôi - Vietnamese Sticky Rice

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Ah, the challenges of finding unusual ingredients locally!  Or adapting dried versions of fresh ingredients, that's a whole different challenge.  For our letter X recipe, I decided to try out the Vietnamese xôi (sticky rice) dessert in a couple different iterations: Xôi La Cam, and Xôi La Dua.  A purple rice and a green rice respectively, one made with magenta leaf herb and one with pandan.


 I already liked mango sticky rice and it was fun to try the new to me colored versions.  Until I can get the fresh pandan and magenta leaf though, I might stick to plain with coconut sauce and mango since the dried versions are muted in color and kind of need a little artificial color help, which I prefer to avoid.

Some versions of pandan rice call for a little pandan extract.  I liked the aroma of the dried pandan, a little vanilla, a little buttery, and a little vegetal, kind of like green tea or even alfalfa.  (Farm girl smells alfalfa in anything grassy.)


Now that I think of it, I am half tempted to add a tiny bit of ube extract to the magenta for some awesome Vietnamese-Filipino fusion!  (Leftovers reheat very nicely!)

Xôi Sticky Rice

1½ cups glutinous rice
⅓ cup coconut milk
3 tbsp granulated sugar
⅛ tsp sea salt

Toppings:

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
¾ tsp granulated sugar
1 pinch salt
1 tbsp shredded coconut, optional

Ways to color/flavor the rice:

For Xoi La Dua (Pandan sticky rice):

12 pandan leaves or equivalent in dried leaves (I used ~10 heaping tbsp)
1¼ cups water

For Xoi La Cam (Magenta sticky rice):

Magenta leaves or powder (I used about 15g powder for 330ml water)
1¼ cups water

If coloring the sticky rice, for green pandan, add about 12 pandan leaves or equivalent and 1¼ cups water to a blender.  Blend well until the leaves are very finely pulverized. Strain out the pandan juice with a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.
 
For magenta rice, simmer fresh magenta leaves or powdered, in water until a purple brew results.  Strain out the leaves/powder.  Let the water cool slightly.

To make the rice, rinse 1½ cups of glutinous rice until the water runs clear (4-5 times). (I divided my rice into two ¾ cup portions.)  Add the rice portions to the bowls with the colored juices. Let the rice soak for 4 hours or overnight.  If during the soaking the rice starts to look too dry, add more water.  Place the bowl in the fridge, covered, if soaking overnight.

Prep a steamer by bringing water to a simmer and adding a steamer insert.  (I used my instant pot and the steam setting, with a lined colander and insert to raise the colander.)  Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the steamer insert.  Poke some small holes in the parchment paper with a skewer or toothpick to help the steam come through.

Drain the rice and pour onto the lined steamer insert. Cover and steam for 40 minutes. Test the sticky rice for doneness. If it is not quite done, continue cooking for a few more minutes and test again.
   
While the rice is steaming, make the coconut sauce. Combine ⅓ cup of coconut milk, 3 tbsp of granulated sugar, and ⅛ tsp of salt.  Cook over medium heat until the sugar melts and then remove from the heat.
   
When the rice is done steaming, pour the coconut sauce over the top, dividing among each color.  Mix until all the rice is coated in the sauce. Let it sit for a few minutes to absorb.
   
Lastly, make the sesame seed topping. Take the 1 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds and grind in a mortar and pestle. Add ¾ tsp of granulated sugar and 1 pinch of salt and mix.
   
To serve, spoon the sticky rice into a bowl.  Top with sesame seed topping and optional shredded coconut.

Use more or less sugar to adjust the sweetness to taste.


Be sure to check out some more letter X recipes:

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