Xoi Ngu Sac (Tay Five Color Sticky Rice), No Added Refined Sugar
Vietnamese dishesSticky RiceNorthwest Vietnamabout 30 minutes steaming, not counting soaking the rice overnight and 3 hours soaking in the colors
The most demanding part of xoi ngu sac, the sticky rice of the Tay people, is drawing out the colors. All five come from leaves and roots, and the grains have to take on a clear color rather than a patchy one. Colors left to soak too briefly come out pale and fade further in the steamer.
This version soaks the rice overnight, then soaks it for another three hours in three colored liquids made from la cam, pandan leaf and fresh turmeric. The gac portion and the plain portion are simply mixed with salt, and everything steams together in one pot.
This batch weighs about 4.9kg, at roughly 125 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 1.5kg glutinous rice and soak it overnight so the grains swell. Rinse the la cam and pandan leaf. Rinse the fresh turmeric, peel it and pound it to a paste.
Add 1 liter water to the pounded turmeric, strain off the yellow liquid and discard the pulp.
Cut the la cam into lengths, put it in a pot with 1 liter water and boil for 10 minutes until the liquid turns purple, then strain it.
Blend the pandan leaf, add 1 liter water, then squeeze and sieve it for the green liquid.
Put half a ripe gac fruit in a bowl with a splash of white rice wine, put on gloves and work the flesh off the seeds, then discard the seeds.
Divide the soaked rice into 5 parts. Soak three of them in the three colored liquids, each with 1 tablespoon coconut milk, 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1 teaspoon salt, for about 3 hours.
Mix one part with the gac flesh and 1 teaspoon salt, and leave the last part plain with 1 teaspoon salt as well.
Put the rice in the steamer and turn the heat high so the grains swell evenly. After 30 minutes, fluff it up, sprinkle a little water over any dry patches and steam until the rice is soft, then turn off the heat.
Arrange the sticky rice on a plate in five colors like a five petalled flower, or press it into molds.
Tips
Sticky rice that comes out dry takes a sprinkle of coconut milk rather than water, which leaves it richer.
Soaking the rice with coconut milk from the start gives noticeably softer, nuttier grains.
The la cam leaf water needs a full 10 minutes of boiling to give up its purple, as a rushed batch leaves the rice pale.
A full 3 hours in the colored liquid is what gives clear, even color.
Separate the colors in the steamer with banana leaf or baking paper so they do not run into each other.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.