Name: Cơm lam Đắk Lắk — Vietnamese bamboo-tube sticky rice
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 340 min
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 400 g glutinous rice, upland-style if available; 480 ml water, about 120 ml per tube; adjust just enough to cover the rice by about 2 cm; 5 g fine salt; 4 clean, untreated food-use bamboo or nứa tubes, about 25 cm long, each with one natural node intact; 4 pieces banana leaf; About 2 m kitchen twine, as needed; 50 g white sesame seeds; 5 g fine salt

A wide highland table scene with a partly opened bamboo tube of Cơm lam, rice slices and sesame salt. — Cơm lam bamboo-tube sticky rice served with toasted sesame salt.

Yield 4 portions

Cook time About 75 minutes

Passive time 4 hours to soak the rice

Total time About 5 hours 40 minutes

Calories About 445 kcal per portion

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Cơm lam Đắk Lắk — Vietnamese bamboo-tube sticky rice

Cơm lam is a highland Vietnamese preparation in which glutinous rice cooks inside a bamboo or nứa tube. In Đắk Lắk, local descriptions pair it with sesame salt and often grilled chicken. This measured home version keeps the defining bamboo-tube cooking technique and uses an oven for steady household heat. It is a practical method, not a claim that every community prepares cơm lam the same way. The grilled chicken is a serving idea and is not included in the ingredient list.

Practical

Tips for successSoak the rice for the full four hours, then drain it thoroughly so excess water does not collect in the tubes. Use only clean, untreated bamboo or nứa sold for food use. Decorative or garden-center canes may have unknown treatments. Leave the tubes no more than two-thirds full and keep the banana-leaf plug loose; never seal a tube airtight. Turn the tubes during roasting so the rice cooks evenly. A tray beneath the rack catches drips. Let the tubes rest and cool until safe to handle before peeling away the bamboo.

Ingredients

Bamboo-tube rice

400 g glutinous rice, upland-style if available
480 ml water, about 120 ml per tube; adjust just enough to cover the rice by about 2 cm
5 g fine salt
4 clean, untreated food-use bamboo or nứa tubes, about 25 cm long, each with one natural node intact
4 pieces banana leaf
About 2 m kitchen twine, as needed

Sesame salt

50 g white sesame seeds
5 g fine salt

Method

Rinse the rice in several changes of cool water until the water is less cloudy. Cover with fresh water and soak for 4 hours. Drain very well, then mix in 5 g salt.
Check that the tubes are clean, untreated, food-use, uncracked and free of mold. Each needs one natural node to close its base. Discard any questionable tube. Wipe the tubes clean. Briefly warm the banana leaves until pliable.
Divide the rice among the tubes, filling each no more than two-thirds full. Add about 120 ml water to each, adjusting only enough to cover the rice by roughly 2 cm while staying below the safe fill line. Leave headspace. Plug each opening with banana leaf and tie loosely if needed; do not make an airtight seal.
Stand the tubes on an oven rack over a rimmed baking tray. Roast at 220°C / 425°F for 60–70 minutes, turning them about every 20 minutes. Check one tube at 60 minutes with mitts and tongs. The rice should be tender all the way through, with no hard, chalky centre. If needed, continue roasting and check every 5–10 minutes.
While the rice cooks, toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes, stirring until fragrant and lightly golden. Cool, crush coarsely, then combine with 5 g salt.
Remove the tubes from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. Let them cool until safe to handle. Carefully strip away the charred outer bamboo and peel the thin inner bamboo layer from the rice. Slice the rice into rounds with a clean knife.
Serve warm with sesame salt. Cool leftover rice in a shallow container, ideally within 1 hour; refrigerate at or below 4°C / 40°F and use within 24 hours. Reheat once until steaming hot throughout. Discard rice left at room temperature for over 2 hours.

Practical

Practical guidance

Make ahead: Soak the rice in the refrigerator if the room is warm. Toast and crush the sesame shortly before serving for the best aroma. Serving: Offer the sesame salt alongside the warm slices. Grilled chicken is a familiar regional accompaniment, but it is not included here. Storage: Refrigerate leftover rice in a shallow container within 1 hour if possible, at or below 4°C / 40°F, and use within 24 hours. Keep sesame salt dry and sealed. Reheating: Reheat rice only once until steaming hot throughout. Discard it if it has stood at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Troubleshooting

Rice is firm in the middle: It may not have soaked long enough or the tube may have been too full. Continue roasting and check every 5–10 minutes. Rice is wet or loose: Drain it more thoroughly after soaking and use only enough water to cover the rice by about 2 cm. Tube leaks: Some dripping is expected. Keep the tray under the rack and check that the leaf plug is secure but not airtight. Bamboo is difficult to peel: Let the tube cool longer, then remove the charred outer layer carefully and peel the thin inner layer away from the rice. Sesame tastes bitter: The seeds were likely toasted too dark. Use medium-low heat and stir continuously.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use an oven instead of charcoal? Yes. This measured home version uses an oven for steady heat while keeping the bamboo-tube technique. Charcoal grilling is also documented, but its timing depends on the fire and tube size. Can I skip the bamboo tube? The tube is central to this preparation and gives the rice its characteristic shape and aroma. A pot or rice cooker will make sticky rice, but not this tube-cooked dish. Can I add coconut milk? This version uses water. Coconut milk appears in some variations, but is not treated here as the Đắk Lắk default. Is grilled chicken included? No. It is a suggested accompaniment and is outside the four-portion yield and nutrition estimate. Can I prepare the sesame salt in advance? Yes. Keep it dry in a sealed container and follow the sesame package storage guidance.

Nutrition per serving

These rounded estimates divide 400 g dry glutinous rice, 50 g sesame and 10 g salt into four portions. Rice brands, water absorption and how much sesame salt is eaten change the values. Optional grilled chicken is not included.

Nutrition per serving

Serving sizeAbout 115–130 g cooked rice plus 12.5 g sesame salt; varies with water absorption
CaloriesAbout 445 kcal
CarbohydrateAbout 83 g
ProteinAbout 9 g
FatAbout 7 g
FibreAbout 2 g
SodiumAbout 980 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains sesame. Check labels and cross-contact information on packaged ingredients. Use only clean, untreated bamboo or nứa intended for food; do not use decorative or garden-center canes of unknown treatment. Leave headspace and keep the leaf plug loose rather than airtight. Hot liquid can drip, so keep a baking tray below the rack and use mitts and tongs. Let tubes cool until safe to handle before peeling. Cool leftover rice rapidly in a shallow container, ideally within 1 hour; refrigerate at or below 4°C / 40°F and use within 24 hours. Reheat once until steaming hot throughout, and discard rice left at room temperature for over 2 hours.

Enjoy

Slice the rice while warm and let everyone add sesame salt to taste.
Pair it with grilled vegetables or meat for a fuller meal.

Cơm lam Đắk Lắk — Vietnamese bamboo-tube sticky rice

Practical

Ingredients

Bamboo-tube rice

Sesame salt

Method

Practical

Practical guidance

Troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

Enjoy

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Phở gà Hà Nội — Hanoi-style Vietnamese chicken noodle soup