How to Make Vietnamese Sweet Coconut Purple Sticky Rice Using a Rice Cooker (Xoi La Cam Bang Noi Com Dien)
How to Make Vietnamese Sweet Coconut Purple Sticky Rice Using a Rice Cooker (Xôi Lá Cẩm Bằng Nồi Cơm Điện)
Xôi Lá Cẩm is a popular breakfast option for locals in Vietnam. When you can’t sit down for a hearty noodle soup such as pho, grabbing purple sticky rice from a street vendor is the next best thing.
Xôi Lá Cẩm is purple sticky rice steamed with coconut milk and sugar that’s topped with freshly grated coconuts, roasted crushed peanuts, and a sweet and savory mixture of roasted sesame seeds, sugar, and salt (muối mè).
Ingredients for Vietnamese Sweet Coconut Purple (Xôi Lá Cẩm)
Sticky Rice
To make Xôi Lá Cẩm, you have to get the right kind of rice. Look for rice grains labeled sweet rice, Thai sticky rice, or glutinous rice. They are different names for the same thing. Glutinous rice has a hard outer shell which typically requires soaking before steaming.
Toppings for Vietnamese Sweet Coconut Purple Rice (Xôi Lá Cẩm): grated coconut, crushed peanuts, salt, sugar, and sesame seeds
The Magenta Plant
The rice grains are naturally dyed purple from the boiling liquid of the magenta plant, or the more scientific name, Peristrophe Bivalvis or Peristrophe Roxburghiana. It is a perennial plant with magenta-colored flowers. The green leaves when boiled turn a vibrant purple or magenta color and are commonly used as a natural food dye in many Southeast Asian countries.
The magenta plant (cây lá cẩm) is difficult to find, even for me at the many Asian stores nearby. A more likely way of obtaining the magenta plant is by asking a Vietnamese person who might have some in their backyard garden. You simply stick a small cutting into soil and it will live, typically.
If you can’t find the magenta plant, no worries. The magenta boiling liquid doesn’t impart much flavor to the rice. It is mainly for color and it’s plentiful in Southeast Asia but not so much in the States. If you can’t find the magenta leaves from the store or know of anyone who has the plant, simply use food coloring or gel instead. Instructions with food coloring are included in the below recipe for your convenience.
Soaking glutinous rice with the boiling liquid of the magenta plant
Rice Cooker
Traditionally, presoaked glutinous rice grains are steamed, then tossed in coconut milk and sugar halfway through. However, finding a steamer with small holes to prevent rice grains from falling through can be a challenge. Some people use their regular large-hole steamers but line the bottom with cheesecloth or fabric. Thais and Laotians often use a woven straw cone-shaped steamer.
I have previously posted a recipe using a traditional steamer. However, this version will focus on cooking sticky rice with a rice cooker for those who don’t have the right steamer.
Cooking sticky rice in a rice cooker lets you enjoy sticky rice more often without more equipment to clean. Recipe below. Enjoy!
Vietnamese Sweet Coconut Purple Sticky Rice Using a Rice Cooker (Xoi La Cam Bang Noi Com Dien)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Make the magenta liquid: In a small pot, add water and magenta leaves and stems. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook on a low simmer for 10 minutes. Strain out leaves and discard. Set aside the liquid to cool. See notes below if you don't have magenta leaves.
- Wash rice by adding sweet rice with plenty of water to the rice cooker pot. Gently swoosh around the rice grains with your hands. Drain the water by tilting the pot to the side and discard as much cloudy water as you can into the sink. Repeat until water runs clear. Drain as much liquid from the pot but it's OK if there's a bit of water still left.
- Add 1-½ cups magenta liquid to the rice. Mix in coconut milk. Select the sweet rice option on the rice cooker and press start. See troubleshooting notes below if needed. Once the rice is done, gently mix in the salt and sugar.
- Prep the toppings: Add raw peanuts to a dry skillet. Lightly toast peanuts on medium-high heat until you have a light charring. Make sure to toss peanuts around to prevent burning. Using a food processor or a mortar and pestle, break the peanuts into coarse pieces and set aside. To the now empty skillet, dry toast sesame seeds until they turn golden brown. Mix the sesame seeds around to prevent burning. Transfer the toasted sesame to a small bowl then add sugar and salt. Mix until combined then set aside.
- When ready to serve, divide the sticky purple rice into individual servings. Top each serving with the coarsely chopped toasted peanuts, a sprinkle of sesame seed mixture, and grated coconut.
Notes
If you don't have the magenta liquid, mix 1-½ cups water with as many drops of purple/magenta food coloring/gel to achieve a light purple color.
If you don't have a sweet rice option on your rice cooker, which cooks the grains a bit longer, or if your rice grains are still hard after cooking, run the rice cooker again. If you are running into an error when pressing start again, press reset, remove pot from the cooker, reinsert, then try again.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
817Fat
31 gSat. Fat
21 gCarbs
125 gFiber
11 gNet carbs
114 gSugar
19 gProtein
15 gSodium
497 mgCholesterol
0 mgThe values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.
