Xôi gấc (gấc sticky rice) is a common dish on the Vietnamese Tết table- especially in the North of Vietnam.
Gấc is a melon that grows throughout Southeast Asia. The seeds (those black spiky looking pieces in the photo above) are covered in a thick, incredibly intense and vivid red-orange membrane. This is the part that we use for xôi gấc.
Vietnamese people believe that colors carry meaning, and that red is the luckiest color of all. Red represents prosperity, happiness, and good fortune. It is vital for the color red to be present on important days, such as grand openings, weddings, and in this case- Lunar New Year.
It’s really no surprise that Vietnamese people saw the gấc fruit, figured out the red part was edible, and set off to make foods with it.
Gấc has a mild, but distinct flavor. When combined with the natural sweetness of glutinous rice and a bit of sugar, it makes for a delicious and fragrant side dish. Xôi gấc pairs perfectly with Vietnamese sausages (giò lụa, giò thủ, chả chiên, etc.), nem rán, or poached chicken.
Xôi gấc
Course: Appetizers, Sides, Vietnamese4
servings30
minutes40
minutes0
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
500 g 500 glutinous rice
200 g 200 gấc (including seeds). If using purée, half the amount.
1/2 tbsp 1/2 rice wine
1 tsp 1 salt
1 tbsp 1 sugar
Directions
- Rinse rice until water runs clear.
- Add rice to a large bowl, cover with room temperature water, and soak for 5 hours.
- Drain rice, removing as much water as possible. Be very gentle because after soaking, the rice breaks easily. Set aside.
- Add gấc to a large bowl. If you’re using fresh or (thawed) frozen gấc that includes the whole seeds, peel the membrane away from the seeds.
Set the seeds aside if you want to use them for presentation. Discard if you don’t. - Add rice wine to the bowl and mix, breaking up the gấc to make a paste.
- Add the drained rice to the bowl along with the salt. Gently mix to coat all the rice in the gấc paste.
- Method 1: steamer
- Add water to the bottom pot and add the rice to the steamer basket in an even layer.
- Use your finger or a chopstick to make some holes in the rice. This allows for steam to escape through the rice layer, letting the rice cook more evenly and preventing the bottom from becoming mushy.
- Cover pot and heat on high. When you start seeing steam, reduce to medium high and cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove lid, sprinkle sugar over the rice and mix well, return lid. Cook for another 10 minutes.
- Method 2: rice cooker
- Add the rice to your rice cooker. Add water to just below the surface of the rice.
- Cook – using “white rice” setting if your cooker has it.
- When your cooker switches to the “keep warm” mode, add sugar and mix well.
- Turn on the cook setting again for another 5-10 minutes or until grains are fully cooked but not mushy. Every rice cooker is different!
- Presentation
- If you want to decorate with the seeds, rinse them until no longer sticky. Place at the bottom of your bowl or mold.
- Scoop the cooked rice into the bowl/mold and pack tightly.
- Cover with a plate and flip upside down.
- Serve with Vietnamese sausages, nem rán, or poached chicken!
Recipe Video
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