Ingredients and steps on one page. Print it, or choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog.
Sekai Gohan
Xôi Ngũ Sắc: Vietnamese Mountain Five-Color Steamed Sticky Rice
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Glutinous rice (gạo nếp) | 3.3 lb (1.5 kg) | The whole dish; one fifth stays white |
| Magenta plant leaves (lá cẩm) | 1 bunch | Purple dye, faint leafy scent |
| Pandan leaves (lá dứa) | 1 bunch | Green dye and sweet aroma |
| Fresh turmeric (nghệ tươi) | 3.5 oz (100 g) | Yellow dye, earthy note |
| Ripe gấc fruit (quả gấc) | ½ fruit | Red-orange color and fruity aroma, mixed in raw |
| Fine salt (muối) | 5 tsp | 1 tsp for each of the five portions; firms the grains |
| Coconut milk (nước cốt dừa) | 3 tbsp | 1 tbsp in each dyed portion; moisture and nutty sweetness |
| White sugar | 3 tsp | 1 tsp in each dyed portion; optional light sweetness |
| Water | 3 quarts (3 L) | 1 quart (1 L) for each of the three dye liquids |
| White rice wine (rượu trắng) | A splash | Optional; loosens the gấc flesh from the seeds |
Steps
1Wash the rice and soak it overnight
Tip the glutinous rice into a colander and rinse it under running water, rubbing the grains lightly between your hands. Keep going until the water running off is only faintly cloudy. Move the rice to a large bowl, cover it well with cold water and leave it overnight; in a warm kitchen, do the soaking in the refrigerator.
2Make the yellow dye from turmeric
Scrub the fresh turmeric and crush it in a mortar or a blender. Stir it into 1 quart (1 L) of water. Pour everything through a cotton cloth into a bowl and wring the cloth hard; this liquid is never heated. It is ready when the bowl holds a clear, bright yellow liquid and the pulp in the cloth is squeezed dry.
3Simmer the lá cẩm for the purple
Tear the lá cẩm leaves into a small saucepan with 1 quart (1 L) of water. Bring it to a simmer and cook the leaves for 10 minutes. Strain through a cloth, pressing the leaves, and set the liquid aside to cool. It is done when the water has turned a deep purple and the leaves have given up most of their color.
4Blend and wring the pandan
Cut the pandan leaves into short lengths and blend them with 1 quart (1 L) of water. Pour the mixture into a cotton cloth set over a bowl. Gather the corners and wring it out until no more liquid drips. The liquid is bright green and smells sweetly of pandan.
5Free the gấc flesh from its seeds
Cut the washed gấc open and use half. Add a splash of white rice wine to the red flesh and put on disposable gloves. Work the flesh off each seed with your fingers into a small bowl and discard the seeds. You are done when the seeds are bare and the bowl holds only soft, orange-red flesh.
6Divide the rice and season each color
Drain the soaked rice and divide it into five equal portions in the five bowls. Pour each of the three dye liquids over its own portion, and stir 1 tbsp coconut milk, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar, if using, into each. Mix the gấc flesh and 1 tsp salt into the fourth portion, and season the fifth with 1 tsp salt only for the white. Leave the dyed bowls to soak for about 3 hours, in the refrigerator if the kitchen is warm. The color is right after the full soak, when the grains are evenly tinted.
7Load the steamer in five sections
Line the steamer basket with a cotton cloth and set up dividers of banana leaf, baking paper or low foil walls to make five sections. Lift each dyed portion out of its liquid, let it drain, and spoon it into its own section; add the gấc and white portions the same way. Leave gaps so the steam can rise through the rice. Bring the water below to a full boil, and the steamer is ready when steam pours up around the edges.
8Steam, loosen and steam again
Cover and steam over high heat for 30 minutes. Lift the lid, loosen each heap gently with a spoon while keeping it in its section, and sprinkle a little water over any patches that look dry. Cover again and keep steaming. Taste a few grains from every color; the rice is done when each heap is soft and sticky right through.
9Shape the rice while it is hot
Spoon each color onto a round platter as one petal of a five-petal flower, or press it into a mold and turn it out. Press firmly with your hands so the grains bind and the edges hold. Serve it warm. It is shaped when each petal keeps a clean edge after you lift your hands away.