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Sticky rice is an indispensable dish on the offering tray for the first day of the twelfth lunar month. Mastering the secrets of choosing the right rice, soaking the glutinous rice, and steaming it correctly will result in fragrant, delicious, and visually appealing sticky rice.

Sticky rice has long been a familiar dish in Vietnamese life, appearing in daily breakfasts as well as on holidays, anniversaries, and the first day of the lunar month. On the offering tray, a generous plate of sticky rice, with plump, glossy grains and a fragrant aroma, not only shows meticulousness but also conveys wishes for a year of abundance, prosperity, and peace.

The first day of the twelfth lunar month marks the beginning of the last month of the lunar year, and many families prepare a meticulous offering tray to worship their ancestors and deities. Sticky rice is almost an essential item on this offering tray. Depending on regional customs and family circumstances, the sticky rice offered is usually red gac fruit sticky rice, mung bean sticky rice, peanut sticky rice, multicolored sticky rice, or plain white sticky rice. Regardless of the type of sticky rice, the most important factor is mastering the secret to cooking delicious sticky rice, ensuring it cooks evenly, is soft and chewy, has a natural aroma, and looks beautiful when presented.

Sticky rice is an indispensable dish on the offering tray for the first day of the twelfth lunar month. (Photo: Loan Tran)

How to cook fragrant and chewy sticky rice for the first day of the twelfth lunar month
Below are some experiences that many home cooks apply to have a pot of fragrant, chewy, and beautifully presented sticky rice for the offering tray.

Choosing good quality glutinous rice
The quality of the glutinous rice determines about 70% of the quality of the sticky rice. Therefore, choosing the rice is considered the most important step. A delicious batch of sticky rice must first start with good quality glutinous rice.

Popular glutinous rice varieties such as Tu Le glutinous rice, Cai Hoa Vang glutinous rice, and Trung Ngoi glutinous rice all have a natural aroma and a slightly sweet taste. When cooked, the rice grains expand just right, are very chewy, soft, glossy, and especially retain their delicious chewiness even when cooled, without becoming hard.

When buying glutinous rice, choose grains that are uniform, round, naturally opaque white, plump, with minimal breakage, and have a mild aroma of freshly harvested rice. Avoid rice that is too white, as this is often rice that has been milled too thoroughly, losing the outer bran layer – which contains many nutrients – and also reducing the aroma of the glutinous rice.

Soaking the rice properly before steaming
Soaking the rice is an essential step if you want fragrant and chewy sticky rice. Depending on the type of glutinous rice, the soaking time may vary, but the most common is 6-8 hours. This time allows the rice grains to absorb enough water, ensuring they cook evenly from the inside out when steamed, without becoming hard or undercooked.

Do not soak the rice for too long, as it can easily become sour, resulting in mushy and less fragrant sticky rice. During soaking, you can add a little salt to remove any odor and enhance the flavor of the cooked rice. After soaking, gently rinse the rice and drain the water before steaming.

Steam the sticky rice for 30 minutes, then poke a few holes in it to ensure even cooking. (Photo: Hang Keo)

Add the rice to the pot by hand for even cooking.
Many people often experience sticky rice that is mushy in the middle, dry on top, and burnt at the bottom. The main reason is uneven heat and the rice grains being compressed, preventing proper steam circulation.

A small but very effective trick is that instead of pouring the whole bowl of rice into the steamer, use your hands to scoop small handfuls and spread them evenly. This method helps the rice grains loosen, preventing them from being compressed, creating ventilation for the steam to spread evenly, and ensuring the sticky rice cooks uniformly.

Alternatively, you can use a damp cloth to cover the outside of the pot lid. The damp cloth helps seal the pot opening, limiting steam escape and preventing the sticky rice from drying out and cooking unevenly.

When arranging sticky rice in the steamer, you can either pile it in the center and leave the sides open, or spread it evenly and use chopsticks to poke 3-4 large holes to allow steam to rise more easily.

Monitor the water level in the steamer.
The water in the steamer should only occupy about 1/3 of the pot's capacity. This amount of water is enough to create steam to soften the rice grains but not so much that the sticky rice becomes mushy, affecting the appearance and quality of the dish.

A simple way to control the water level is to place a ceramic plate on the surface of the water in the pot. When you hear a rattling sound, it means the water has run out. If the sticky rice is not yet cooked, add more water promptly to prevent burning the bottom of the pot.

Before placing the sticky rice in the steamer, bring the water in the pot to a rolling boil. Then proceed to steam the sticky rice and maintain a stable temperature throughout the process.

Do not use too high a heat as the sticky rice will easily burn, and do not use too low a heat as the sticky rice will cook slowly and become mushy. Medium heat and even steam are ideal conditions for steaming sticky rice.

Steaming Time
Depending on the type of glutinous rice, steaming time usually ranges from 30 to 40 minutes. During steaming, every 10 minutes, open the lid and use a clean cloth to wipe away any condensation to prevent water from dripping onto the rice and making it soggy. At the same time, gently stir with chopsticks to ensure even cooking. This is an important step to ensure each grain of glutinous rice is cooked perfectly, neither undercooked nor mushy on the outside.

Once the sticky rice is cooked, you can drizzle a little cooking oil or chicken fat on the surface, then stir well. A thin layer of oil makes the rice grains glossy, soft, and smooth, enhances the aroma, and prevents the rice from drying out when cooled.

Stir the rice and steam for a second time for another 15 minutes. (Photo: Hang Keo)

Steaming Sticky Rice Twice
To keep the sticky rice delicious and soft for a long time, many people use the method of steaming it twice. When the sticky rice is just cooked, scoop it onto a large tray and spread it evenly to cool slightly. Then, put the sticky rice back into the steamer and steam it again. This method ensures the sticky rice is thoroughly cooked but not mushy, the grains become firm, and it remains soft and chewy even after a while.

After steaming, let the sticky rice rest in a pot or rice cooker on the keep-warm setting for about 10-15 minutes to allow the rice grains to continue expanding evenly, resulting in softer and more chewy rice. Avoid letting the sticky rice cool in the air for too long, as it will dry out, become hard, and lose its aroma.

When offering sticky rice, line the plate with banana leaves or dong leaves, and shape the sticky rice into a round or neatly mounded shape around the boiled chicken (if any) in the center of a large plate. Chrysanthemums or carved dong leaves can be used for decoration to make the offering more solemn. Other offerings such as the five-fruit platter, tea, and wine should be placed symmetrically around the offering for overall harmony.

How to cook gac sticky rice
According to Vietnamese tradition, the color red symbolizes good fortune, joy, and prosperity. Therefore, gac sticky rice, with its natural red color, frequently appears on offering trays during Tet (Vietnamese New Year), important ceremonies, and especially on the first day of the twelfth lunar month, marking the beginning of the last month of the year.

Ingredients

Glutinous rice: 1kg
Gac fruit: 1
Salt and sugar
Coconut milk: 80ml
Chicken fat
Instructions

Soak the glutinous rice for about 6 hours, then rinse thoroughly. When buying rice, ask if it's new or old rice. New rice only needs about 6 hours of soaking, while old rice needs longer soaking to soften the grains and absorb enough water.

After soaking, drain the rice in a colander, mix with salt, and let it sit for about 3 hours until the grains are slightly dry. Next, mix the rice with the gac fruit. The gac fruit should be beaten beforehand with a little white wine to remove the sap smell and enhance the color, then mix it into the rice and let it sit for another 30-40 minutes to absorb the color.

While waiting, prepare the steamer. When the water in the pot is only slightly warm, place the steamer basket on top, making sure the basket is placed high above the rice, with the water level only about half full. Wash the chicken fat, blanch it quickly in boiling water to reduce the smell, and set it aside.

Place the rice mixed with gac fruit into the steamer, spread evenly, and begin steaming. After about 15-20 minutes, open the lid to check for doneness. Once the sticky rice is cooked, scoop it out into a basket or tray and let it air dry.

Steamed sticky rice (first steaming) is then placed in a basket to air dry. (Photo: Minh Chau)

Steam the sticky rice a second time; this is the "double steaming" step, which makes the sticky rice even more chewy and fragrant. The second steaming should be thorough, about 15-20 minutes. When the sticky rice is hot again, add coconut milk, sugar, and chicken fat and mix well. The suggested ratio is about 8 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of chicken fat for 1 kg of rice. The amount of sugar can be adjusted according to taste, but gac sticky rice should have a slightly sweet taste to avoid an overly rich flavor.

When serving the sticky rice in a mold or on a plate, do not compress it tightly. The rice grains should be loose, not stuck together, but still chewy and naturally sticky. The layer of chicken fat will make the sticky rice glossy, soft, and more fragrant, creating a well-rounded flavor when enjoyed.

Gac sticky rice with the delicate aroma of glutinous rice and gac fruit combined with the richness of chicken fat. (Photo: Hoa Bui)

How to cook mung bean sticky rice
Mung bean sticky rice is a popular dish, not only appearing in daily meals but also chosen by many families to offer as a sacrifice during festivals, full moon days, and the first day of the lunar month.

Ingredients

Glutinous rice: 500 g
Peeled mung beans: 200 g
Coconut milk: 250 ml
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar: 2 teaspoons
Instructions

First, soak the glutinous rice and mung beans for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Then rinse thoroughly and drain. Mix the drained glutinous rice and mung beans with salt and sugar, tossing well to absorb the flavors. Meanwhile, place a steamer pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil. When the water boils vigorously, add the glutinous rice and mung bean mixture to the steamer, spread evenly, and begin steaming.

Steam the sticky rice for about 30-40 minutes, occasionally opening the lid, wiping away condensation, and stirring. When the sticky rice is cooked, pour in 250 ml of coconut milk, gently mix, and steam for another 10 minutes to allow the coconut milk to absorb evenly, resulting in fluffy, fragrant sticky rice.

The finished product is light yellow sticky rice with plump, glossy grains, the nutty flavor of the mung beans combined with the rich aroma of coconut, perfect for offering on a ceremonial tray.

(Image caption: Light yellow sticky rice with plump, glossy, fragrant grains. (Photo: Truong Ha Uyen))

Besides sticky rice with mung beans, sticky rice with peanuts is also a popular choice. The cooking method is similar to sticky rice with mung beans, just note that the peanuts need to be boiled for about 30 minutes beforehand, then mixed with the sticky rice and steamed as above.

With the secrets from selecting the rice, soaking the glutinous rice, controlling the water, maintaining the temperature, to the double-steaming technique and finishing touches, cooking a pot of fragrant, sticky rice for offering on the first day of the twelfth lunar month will no longer be too difficult. By paying attention to each small step, homemakers can easily prepare a full, fragrant plate of sticky rice, contributing to a more solemn and warm offering table.