Delicious, tender, beautiful, and enticing homemade pumpkin sticky rice recipe

When it comes to sticky rice dishes, one cannot overlook the deliciousness of pumpkin sticky rice, which is a familiar dish to Vietnamese people. Pumpkin sticky rice not only tastes delicious and sweet but also boasts the natural orange color of pumpkin, which is extremely eye-catching. Mytour will share with you the secrets of making delicious pumpkin sticky rice and how to keep it moist without drying out!

Simple traditional method for making pumpkin sticky rice 

Prepare the ingredients and tools 

To begin making this traditional pumpkin sticky rice dish, prepare the following ingredients and utensils:

• 1 ripe pumpkin (choose a ripe pumpkin with thin skin and fewer thorns for beautiful flesh color).
• 1 – 1.5kg glutinous rice (depending on the number of servings, buy an appropriate amount of glutinous rice and pumpkin).
• White sugar.
• Vegetable oil.
• Rice wine.
• Salt.
• Roasted sesame seeds (or peanuts).
• Utensils needed: knife, steamer or steaming pot, sticky rice mold, basket, spoon, etc.

How to make delicious, tender pumpkin sticky rice

After preparing all the necessary ingredients, follow the steps below to make a delicious and sticky pot of traditional pumpkin sticky rice!

Step 1: Soak the glutinous rice.

• First, rinse the glutinous rice thoroughly and soak it in water for 6 – 8 hours (it's best to soak overnight to save waiting time).
• Next, after soaking for the required time, pour out the soaking water and rinse the rice once again with clean water, then drain in a basket and wait for it to dry.
• Then, add about 1 tablespoon of table salt and 20ml of vegetable oil to the rice and mix well.

Step 2: Prepare the pumpkin flesh.

• Wash the pumpkin thoroughly, then cut it in half and only take the pumpkin flesh, leaving out the seeds.
• Add about 15ml of rice wine and mix well with the pumpkin flesh (mixing wine with pumpkin will enhance the pumpkin's aroma).
• It's advisable to prepare the pumpkin flesh simultaneously while soaking the glutinous rice so that the pumpkin flesh has time to absorb the wine.

Step 3: Cooking the pumpkin sticky rice.

• Thoroughly mix the pumpkin flesh with the previously prepared glutinous rice. Let it sit for about 45 – 60 minutes to allow the rice to absorb the red color of the pumpkin, resulting in a visually appealing dish.
• Place a steaming pot on the stove and add about ½ pot of water, then bring it to a boil.
• Once the water starts boiling, place the mixed rice and pumpkin in a steaming basket, cover tightly, and steam over low heat for about 40 – 45 minutes.
• After the required time, check if the rice is tender, the sticky rice has turned red from the pumpkin, and there's a fragrant aroma, indicating that the sticky rice is cooked.
• Finally, add sugar and a bit more rice wine to the steaming basket of sticky rice, mix well until the sugar is dissolved. Then continue to steam for another 5 minutes before turning off the heat.

Step 4: Decorating and completing the traditional pumpkin sticky rice dish.

So, in just about 60 minutes, you can complete this incredibly delicious traditional pumpkin sticky rice dish!

A few ways to make delicious pumpkin sticky rice using a steamer 

In addition to traditional pumpkin sticky rice, pumpkin sticky rice with coconut milk and pumpkin sticky rice with mung beans are also popular. Here are two ways to make these pumpkin sticky rice dishes that you can refer to:

How to make pumpkin sticky rice with coconut milk

To make pumpkin sticky rice with coconut milk, you need to prepare the following ingredients:

• 1 – 1.5kg glutinous rice.
• 1 ripe pumpkin, round and evenly thorned, with fresh and undistorted skin.
• 150 – 200ml coconut milk.
• Seasonings include: salt, sugar, white wine.
• Utensils: steamer, mold. 

After preparing the ingredients and utensils, proceed with the following steps to cook pumpkin sticky rice:

Step 1: Soak the glutinous rice.

• Rinse the glutinous rice thoroughly and soak it in water overnight for about 6 – 8 hours.
• Then pour out the soaking water, rinse the rice once again, and let it drain.

Step 2: Prepare the pumpkin flesh.

• Wash the pumpkin thoroughly, then cut it in half, remove the seeds, and take the pumpkin flesh.
• To enhance the color of the pumpkin flesh, mix it well with a little white wine and ½ tablespoon of salt, then marinate for about 8 – 10 hours. It's best to prepare this part while soaking the glutinous rice to save time!

Step 3: Cooking pumpkin sticky rice with coconut milk.

• Add ½ tablespoon of table salt to the glutinous rice and pumpkin flesh, then mix well.
• Place the sticky rice in a steamer and steam. After about 30 minutes, use chopsticks to fluff up the rice!
• Next, evenly drizzle ½ portion of the coconut milk and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, mix quickly, cover tightly, and continue steaming.
• After 30 minutes, pour in the remaining coconut milk (you can save a little), mix the rice once more, and steam for another 10 minutes until the pumpkin sticky rice is cooked, soft, and sticky.
• Note: If the rice is dry, add the reserved coconut milk and a little more vegetable oil. Steam for another 10 minutes for a tastier result.
• Finally, add sugar and mix well until the sugar is dissolved. You can skip this step if you don't like it sweet.

Step 4: Complete the pumpkin sticky rice with coconut milk.

Use a sticky rice mold to shape the rice or simply scoop it onto a plate and enjoy the delicious dish!

Guide on how to cook pumpkin sticky rice with mung beans

Ingredients for cooking pumpkin sticky rice with mung beans include:

• Glutinous rice.
• Ripe and fresh pumpkin.
• Peeled mung beans.
• Coconut milk.
• White wine.
• Seasonings such as sugar, salt, vegetable oil.

The process of cooking pumpkin sticky rice with mung beans is carried out in the following steps:

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients.

• Rinse the glutinous rice and soak it overnight for about 6 – 8 hours to allow the rice grains to swell evenly. Then remove impurities and rinse again before draining. Next, add a pinch of salt and mix well.
• Soak the mung beans in water for about 3 – 4 hours, then rinse and drain.
• Wash the pumpkin, cut it in half, and take the pumpkin flesh, then mix it with a little wine, salt, and vegetable oil and marinate for about 5 – 6 hours.

Step 2: Cook the pumpkin sticky rice.

• Mix the glutinous rice and pumpkin flesh together and let it sit for about 10 – 15 minutes for the pumpkin colors to blend evenly into the rice.
• Pour water into about ½ of the steamer and bring it to a boil. Once the water starts boiling, continue to add the rice and pumpkin mixture to the steamer and steam the sticky rice for about 30 minutes. 
• Once the sticky rice is cooked, use chopsticks to fluff it up, then evenly pour coconut milk over it and mix well.
• Steam for another 10 minutes, then add sugar to create sweetness for the sticky rice. After adding sugar, mix well to dissolve the sugar completely and evenly.
• Steam for another 10 minutes, then you can turn off the heat.

Step 3: Cook the mung beans.

• Put the mung beans in a pot and add enough water to cover the beans. Add ⅓ tablespoon of salt to make the beans tastier when cooked.
• Cook for about 20 minutes over low heat until the beans are soft.
• Then, add sugar and stir well until the beans are smooth, sticky, and thickened. Turn off the heat and let it cool.

Step 4: Mold the pumpkin sticky rice with mung beans.

Congratulations, you have successfully completed the delicious sticky rice with pumpkin and mung beans combination, offering a delightful taste.

Secrets to cooking delicious and moist pumpkin sticky rice

Cooking pumpkin sticky rice is not too difficult and can be done by anyone at home. However, to ensure the sticky rice is delicious and moist, you need to pay attention to the following tips:

• To ensure the sticky rice cooks evenly and tastes better, place small handfuls of rice in the steaming basket to create space for steam to spread evenly. This allows the rice grains to cook uniformly, avoiding mushiness in the middle and dryness on top.
• The amount of water you pour into the steaming basket should be at least 1/3 of the pot to ensure there is enough steam to cook the rice from the beginning. This ensures even and tastier rice.
• If the sticky rice becomes dry, sprinkle some water on the surface and use a thin, clean cloth to lightly dampen the surface before steaming for an additional 5 minutes.

The method for cooking pumpkin sticky rice shared by Mytour here is incredibly simple, isn't it? So why hesitate? Get into the kitchen and impress your family with your cooking skills. You can visit the Mytour.vn online shopping platform to stock up on all the ingredients and cooking utensils you need for making sticky rice. Mytour offers many promotions to help you save costs and time. With the insights shared in this article, Mytour hopes you will succeed in making this delicious pumpkin sticky rice!