My Cheat Vietnamese Sweet Coconut Sticky Rice - Xoi Nuoc Dua

My cheat version of Vietnamese sweet coconut sticky rice - xoi nuoc dua is one of the best recipe hacks I have ever developed. This method does not require soaking the sticky rice overnight like traditional methods or the use of any special equipment. All you will need is simply a pot / dish with a lid and a microwave!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Vietnamese

Keyword Sweet Coconut Sticky Rice, Xoi Nuoc Dua

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 12

Resting time 10

Total Time 42

Servings

Calories 473kcal

Author Scruff

Ingredients

250 gm glutinous rice
1.5 L boiling water
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar, or to taste

Saffron - Colour Component Yellow

1/4 tsp saffron powder

Pandan - Colour Component Green

1/4 tsp pandan paste (available at Asian groceries)

La Cam - Colour Component Magenta

1.5 cup boiling water
30 gm magenta plant, cut into 2 cm pieces (available at Asian groceries) (Note 1)

Garnish (all optional)

1 tbsp sesame seeds, roasted
1/2 cup fresh coconut, shredded
1/3 cup roasted peanuts, crushed

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

If making magenta / la cam sticky rice, then add the chopped magenta plant into a small sauce pot with 1.5 cup of water and boil for 15 minutes on medium. Otherwise, skip step if making other versions.
In a bowl, wash the rice with tap water and discard the water. Repeat about three times.
In a bowl, add the glutinous rice and enough boiling water to completely submerse the rice. Let it sit for 5 minutes and stir the rice every few minutes.
Strain the rice and wash it in the strainer under a tap with warm - hot water. Use your fingers to move the rice around in the strainer to remove the gooey texture.
Place the rice back into the bowl and completely submerse the rice in boiling water by about 2-3 cm. Let it sit for 25 minutes while stirring the rice every 5 minutes. (Note 2)
If making magenta / la cam sticky rice, then strain the purple liquid into the rice and then fill it up with boiling water until completely submersed. Make sure the purple liquid is boiling hot when adding it to the rice. (Note 2)
After 25 minutes, strain the rice and place in a microwaveable container / bowl / casserole dish. (Note 3)
Add the coconut milk, salt and colour component and stir well. Put the lid on and microwave for 6 minutes on high.
After 6 minutes, take the rice out of the microwave. Quickly add 4 tbsp of sugar and combine gently, so to not break the rice grains. Put the lid back on and cook for another 4 minutes.
Take out of the microwave and gently fluff the rice up. Taste a few grains of the sticky rice for sweetness and texture. Adjust according to your preference.
If the rice is is too mushy, then leave the lid off and cook it for a further two minutes in the microwave. If it is a bit hard still, stir in 1 or 2 tbsp of coconut milk. Otherwise, put the lid back on and cook for 2 minutes.
Take out of the microwave and let it rest for 10 mins with lid on, If it looks too moist for your liking then let it rest with the lid off.
Optional step: Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds / crushed peanuts / coconut over the top and serve.

Notes

Magenta plant / la cam is admittedly hard to find. If you are unable to obtain it, use food colouring instead. Add the food colouring like the colour component in the pandan and saffron versions.
It is very important that the water is boiling hot. I suggest reboiling the water just before the 25 minute soaking of the rice just to be on the safe side. The goes for the purple liquid from the magenta plant as well.
The microwaveable container / bowl / dish should be able to hold roughly 2 L. There is a chance it will not work with anything smaller since the liquid may spill over the sides.

Nutrition