Vietnamese National Dishes

Xôi ngũ sắc: Hà Giang five-colour sticky rice

Xôi ngũ sắc is a festive northern Vietnamese sticky rice dish coloured with natural plant and fruit extracts. This home version arranges five separate portions in white, red, yellow, green and purple: plain rice, gấc, turmeric, pandan and lá cẩm. The plants and shades vary across communities, so this is one practical palette rather than a single definitive tradition. Serve the rice warm with sesame salt or as part of a celebratory meal.

Vietnamese National Dishes
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Five naturally coloured portions of Hà Giang sticky rice arranged on a platter with sesame salt.
Five naturally coloured portions of Hà Giang sticky rice arranged on a platter with sesame salt.
Yield 8 servings
Cook time 45 minutes
Passive time 4 hours
Total time 5 hours 35 minutes
Calories about 506 kcal per serving
Ingredients ↓
Overview

Xôi ngũ sắc: Hà Giang five-colour sticky rice

The name Xôi ngũ sắc means five-colour sticky rice. It is associated with the ethnic communities of Vietnam’s northern mountains, including Hà Giang, and is often served at festivals and special gatherings. Natural leaves, roots and fruits tint the rice while it steams; the exact plant choices, shades and cultural meanings vary from one community to another.

This version uses a practical set of natural colours: gấc for red, turmeric for yellow, pandan for green, lá cẩm for purple, and plain glutinous rice for white. Beetroot can replace gấc when it is unavailable, giving a slightly different red. Soaking each colour separately lets the grains take on the dye before steaming. Keep the portions divided during cooking, then arrange them as bands or petals on a platter.

Practical

Practical

  • What makes this version workRinse and divide the rice evenly so all five colours cook at the same rate. Cool each colour infusion fully before it touches the rice. Soak the covered bowls in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. Drain each portion well and steam in separate perforated baskets so the colours stay distinct. Taste a grain from each batch; if any centre is firm, steam a little longer.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Five-colour sticky rice

  • 1 kg dry white glutinous rice, preferably nếp nương or another short-grain sticky rice
  • 20 g dried lá cẩm (magenta plant, Peristrophe bivalvis) leaves for purple
  • 100 g unsweetened fresh or frozen gấc aril/pulp for red; or 100 g finely grated beetroot as a practical substitute
  • 35 g fresh turmeric root, peeled and grated, for yellow
  • 30 g fresh pandan leaves for green
  • 2.25 L cold potable water: 450 ml for each of four colour infusions and 450 ml for the plain white rice soak
  • 5 g fine salt, divided among the five portions

Sesame salt

  • 60 g whole sesame seeds
  • 3 g fine salt
Method

Method

Method

  1. Rinse the glutinous rice in several changes of cool water until it runs mostly clear, then drain. Divide into five equal 200 g portions and keep each separate. For the purple infusion, simmer the lá cẩm leaves in 450 ml water for 10 minutes, then strain through clean cloth. For yellow, simmer the turmeric in 450 ml water for 5 minutes and strain. For green, blend the pandan with 450 ml water and strain. For red, blend gấc with 450 ml water and strain; if using beetroot, simmer the grated beet in 450 ml water for 10 minutes, then strain. Cool all four infusions completely in an ice bath before they touch the rice.

  2. Pour one cooled colour infusion over each of four rice portions, making sure the grains are submerged. Add 450 ml plain cold water to the fifth portion. Cover and refrigerate all five bowls for 4 hours. Drain each portion separately in a sieve for 15 minutes. Do not soak rice at room temperature.

  3. Set up a large steamer with five separate perforated baskets or dividers, lined so the grains cannot mix while steam can pass. Bring the water below to a steady boil. Divide the 5 g salt among the drained rice portions. Arrange each colour separately and steam, covered, over actively boiling water for 35–45 minutes, until the grains are translucent, tender and cohesive. If using a stacked steamer, rotate the baskets once for even cooking.

  4. While the rice steams, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes, stirring until fragrant and lightly golden. Cool them, then grind coarsely with 3 g salt. Taste one grain from each rice portion; if any centre is firm, steam for another 5–10 minutes.

  5. Arrange the five colours in separate bands or as five petals on a warm platter. Serve immediately with sesame salt on the side. Keep the rice hot until serving.

  6. If saving leftovers, spread the rice in shallow trays and cool rapidly within 1 hour. Refrigerate at or below 4°C and use within 1 day. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout. Do not cool rice in the steamer, leave it at room temperature or store it overnight unrefrigerated.

Practical

Practical

Serving, storage and substitutions

Serve warm on a shared platter with sesame salt. Xôi ngũ sắc can accompany grilled meats or Vietnamese pork sausage, or be served as part of a festive spread. Portion the sesame salt alongside so each person can season to taste. If gấc is unavailable, finely grated beetroot provides a natural red colour but gives a different flavour and shade. If lá cẩm is unavailable, use another locally appropriate edible natural purple dye and describe it accurately; do not use non-food plants. Pandan or local forest leaves may be used for green where customary. These substitutions make this a flexible home version, not a claim that every palette is identical. Serve the rice hot. If you need to store it, spread it out to cool within 1 hour, refrigerate at or below 4°C and use within 1 day. Reheat once until steaming hot throughout. Store sesame salt in a clean covered jar at room temperature.

Troubleshooting

The colours look pale: use fresh, potent plant material and keep each rice portion submerged during the refrigerated soak. The colours ran together: drain each batch separately and keep the steamer dividers in place while loading and cooking. The rice is wet or pasty: drain it fully after soaking and make sure steam can circulate through the baskets. The centre is still firm: return that colour portion to the steamer for 5–10 minutes, then check a grain again.

Frequently asked questions

What does Xôi ngũ sắc mean? It means five-colour sticky rice. It refers to glutinous rice tinted with natural plant or fruit dyes and steamed in separate colours. Are the five colours always made from the same plants? No. Plants and shades vary by region, season and community. This version uses gấc, turmeric, pandan and lá cẩm, with plain rice as the fifth colour. What can I serve with it? Sesame salt is a simple accompaniment. The rice can also be part of a festive meal with grilled meat or Vietnamese pork sausage.

Nutrition per serving

These are approximate values for the rice and the full measured sesame-salt accompaniment. The amount of sesame salt used at the table can change sodium; glutinous rice cultivar and dye solids also vary.

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

  • Serving sizeone-eighth of the steamed rice with about 7.5 g sesame salt
  • Caloriesabout 506 kcal
  • Carbohydrate104 g
  • Protein10 g
  • Fat5 g
  • Fibre4 g
  • Sodiumabout 400 mg
Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Sesame is an allergen. Check packaged rice and seeds for cross-contact statements. Soak rice covered in the refrigerator at or below 4°C; do not soak at room temperature. Use clean utensils and keep raw plant ingredients separate from cooked rice. Serve rice promptly and hot. If holding it hot, keep it at or above 60°C. For storage, spread rice in shallow trays and cool within 1 hour, refrigerate at or below 4°C, use within 1 day and reheat only once until steaming hot throughout. Never leave cooked rice to cool in the steamer.

A colourful platter to share

A colourful platter to share

  • Keep each rice portion separate from soaking through steaming.
  • Serve promptly, or cool rice quickly and refrigerate it safely.
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