Purple Sticky Rice
If you have ever wondered how to make purple sticky rice at home, I will teach you all about the process in this recipe! Naturally colored and infused with subtle notes of coconut, you can serve it either as a sweet or savory dish!
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup uncooked sticky rice
- 2/3 cup water for soaking the rice
- 1 and 1/2 tsp ube powder
Coconut Milk
- 3 tbsp full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
Peanut & Sesame Topping (Optional)
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Sticky Rice
- Wash the rice. Add the rice to a small bowl and cover with water. Gently swirl the rice using your hands until the water becomes cloudy. Strain the rice and repeat this step 2-3 times or until the water is almost clear. Transfer the rice to a small mixing bowl.
- Add the ube powder. Cover the rice with 2/3 cups of water. Add the ube powder and stir using a spoon.
- Soak it overnight. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and soak the rice overnight or for at least 6 hours. You can stir the rice once halfway through soaking to ensure the grains are evenly colored.
- Prepare the coconut milk. Once the rice has soaked, it's time to make the coconut milk mixture. Add the coconut milk, sugar, and salt to a small mixing bowl. Stir using a spoon until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- Prepare your steamer. Wet a thin cotton cheesecloth and arrange it on the inside of your bamboo steamer basket. Drain the soaked sticky rice and transfer it to the steamer basket. Close the basket with its lid.
- Steam. Fill a large pot (that can fit under your steamer basket) with 3-4 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, place your bamboo basket on top of the pot and steam for 10 minutes.
- Drizzle with coconut milk. After 10 minutes, open the steamer and drizzle half of the coconut milk mixture over the sticky rice. Stir the rice with a spoon or chopsticks.
- Repeat. Close the steamer, and steam for another 10 minutes before drizzling the remaining coconut milk over the rice and stirring. Finally, steam for 5 more minutes.
- Enjoy. At this point, your sticky rice should be tender while still slightly chewy. It’s ready to serve!
Peanut & Sesame Topping (Optional)
- Crush the peanuts. Use a pestle and mortar or a small blender to grind the peanuts into small chunks. You can make them finer or coarser, depending on what you like.
- Toast the sesame seeds. Add the raw sesame seeds to a small pan and heat over low-medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly until the seeds are golden brown. Be careful, they can burn very fast!
- Combine everything. Transfer the ground peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, sugar, and salt to a small bowl and stir to combine. You can then sprinkle a few tablespoons over your sticky rice!