Sweet Sticky Rice with Pandan Xoi La Dua

Xoi is Vietnamese a dish made from glutinous rice that can be a sweet or savory. They can be served as dessert or as part of a main course. There's a wide variety of popular xoi and we've always enjoyed these growing up but never made any ourselves until now. Glutinous rice or sticky rice are short white grains of rice that become sticky when cooked, not because it contains gluten. There are many versions of sweet rice in Vietnamese cuisine including xoi vo (mung bean sticky rice), xoi dau phong (peanut sticky rice) , xoi man (savory sticky rice with chinese sausage and chicken) , xoi dau den (black bean sticky rice) and probably many more. One of our favorites is xoi la dua (pandan sticky rice) which has the exquisite aromas and flavors of pandan/coconut and a distinctive beautiful green color. We love to dip the sticky rice in the special sesame/peanut mix.

Recently I met a friend at work from Laos who showed me how to make sticky rice in a special conical shaped bamboo basket and aluminum steamer pot. This cookware not only looks cool but it makes cooking sticky rice so easy and quick. A conventional steamer works just fine and better for making larger quantities. I don't recommend making sticky rice in the rice cooker as I tried it in the past and had trouble with getting the right consistency. This special steamer set up makes it hard to mess up on making sticky rice and can be found in many Thai/Asian groceries or in our Amazon store. Another key component is a muslin fabric or cheese cloth. We prefer using muslin since you can wash it and reuse easier.

Sweet Sticky Pandan Rice Xoi La Dua
Printable Recipe

• 2 cups of glutinous rice (soak in water for at least 4 hrs, preferably overnight around 8-12hr)
  
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk
• 1/4 teaspoon of pandan extract
• couple drops of green food color
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/4 cup of shredding coconut
  

Peanut/Sesame Topping

• 1 tablespoon of roasted peanuts
• 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Steamer or Sticky Rice Bamboo steamer

Glutinous rice needs to be soaked for at least 4 hours but preferable overnight around 8-12 hrs. The longer you soak it, the shorter the cook time. Drain the glutinous rice in colander. Add rice to mixing bowl and add pandan essence/flavoring, salt, sugar, and a food color. Mix well until all the grains have an even color.

Bring water in your steamer to boil. Line your steamer pan or bamboo basket with muslin and add the seasoned glutinous rice. Cover the rice with excess cloth cover with a lid. Steam until a grain of rice grain can be squished in your fingers but still slight firm, about 15 minutes or so--add coconut milk and work it into the rice. Remove and let it cool for about 5 minutes.

In a mortal and pesto, crush the peanuts, add sesame seeds and crush together. Add sugar
and salt.

Remove the rice and top with shredded coconut and peanuts/sesame.

We just love the aroma of this sticky rice with the pandan and coconut. The shredded coconuts and dipping "sauce" of sesame and peanuts also adds great texture and makes this a wonderful rice dish that can be eaten any time. We ate it for breakfast and later on after dinner dessert. All this for only 15 minutes of steaming and prep time!

Ever since I got my new ultra cool Sticky Rice Bamboo steamer , I've been steaming up a storm with other sticky rice recipes. Stay tuned for xoi vo / sticky mung bean rice and others!

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