Vietnamese Red Sticky Rice (Xôi Gấc)

Vietnamese Red Sticky Rice (Xôi Gấc) is a type of sticky rice made from Gac fruit, typically served on Lunar New Year. It's savory and sweet, making it perfect to enjoy with other savory side dishes.

What is Vietnamese Red Sticky Rice?

Vietnamese people enjoy many sticky rice dishes, such as this one and Mung Bean Sticky Rice, for breakfast and daily dishes. On Lunar New Year, people enjoy this Red Sticky Rice as the color is brightly red - a symbol of good luck in the new year.

The dish is incredibly simple to make with 2 ingredients: Gac fruit and glutinous rice. It has a flavorful and sweet taste from the coconut milk and sugar and a unique taste of the Gac fruit.

What is Gac?

Gac is a native Vietnamese fruit. It contains dark color seeds surrounded by red paste and acts as the natural food coloring for the sticky rice.

You can easily find Gac in Vietnam. Outside of Vietnam, the Gac fruit paste can be found in the frozen section of many Asian supermarkets.

How to make Vietnamese Red Sticky Rice:

First, soak the glutinous rice in water for 4 hours or overnight. Before making the recipe, drain the water and rinse the rice under water.

If using fresh Gac fruit: place it in a bowl and add rice wine. Then use your hands, chopsticks, or a spoon to stir and beat the fruit for 3-5 minutes, until the red paste is extracted and the dark seeds are exposed. Afterward, use the paste and discard the seeds.

If using Gac fruit paste: defrost the paste, then add to a bowl and mix with rice wine.

Mix the red paste with the drained rice thoroughly.

Steam the rice in a steaming basket for 15-20 minutes. After 15-20 minutes, add the coconut milk, salt, and sugar and mix to combine.

Close the lid and steam for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the rice becomes soft. The rice is best served warm.

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If you enjoyed this recipe, also check out:

• Thai Mango Sticky Rice
• Mung Bean Sticky Rice (Xôi đậu xanh)