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 peanuts, and a sweet and savory mixture of roasted sesame seeds, sugar, and salt (muối mè).
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. Thai and Laotians often use a woven straw cone-shaped steamer.
I have previously posted a recipe using a traditional steamer.
In this recipe, I 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.
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.
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 and stems 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, you can use ube extract.
Related Posts
If you enjoy this recipe, you might also enjoy these:
- Traditional Purple Sticky Rice with Steamer
- Savory Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage
- Sweet Red Sticky Rice
- Cơm Tấm: Vietnam’s Famous Broken Rice Dish
Vietnamese Purple Sweet Sticky Rice (Rice Cooker Recipe)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Here’s a cheat version of Vietnamese sweet coconut purple sticky rice using a rice cooker. There’s no need for overnight soaking and no need for a steamer with the perfect size holes. All you need is what you probably already have, a rice cooker.
Ingredients
Magenta Liquid
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 oz magenta leaves and stems
Sticky Rice
- 3 cups sweet glutinous rice (not rice cooker cups)
- 13.5 oz can coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Toppings
- 1 tablespoon roasted white sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup toasted peanuts (roughly chopped; optional)
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
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/stems and discard. Set aside. If you don’t have fresh magenta leaves, mix 3/4 cup water with 1/2 teaspoon ube extract.
- Wash the rice: Rinse sweet rice in a small colander or sieve until water runs clear. Add washed rice to the inner pot of the rice cooker.
- Prepare the rice: Add 3/4 cup magenta or ube liquid to the rice. Mix in coconut milk and salt until evenly combined. Select the sweet rice option, if available, or plain/regular on the rice cooker and press start. Once the rice is done, gently mix in the sugar into the hot rice.
- Prepare the toppings: To a small bowl, mix together toasted white sesame seeds, salt and sugar until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Serve: When ready to serve, divide the sticky purple rice into individual servings (about 4). Top each serving with the coarsely chopped toasted peanuts, a sprinkle of sesame seed mixture, and grated coconut and enjoy.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese
