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Home » Recipes

Rice Cooker Savory Sticky Rice (Xôi Mặn)

Published: May 26, 2020 · Modified: Jan 24, 2022 by Suzanne Nuyen · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

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a white plate on on top of a fabric with a wooden pattern. On top of the plate is brown sticky rice with bits of chinese sausage, green onion and fried shallot mixed throughout.

This sticky rice dish is classic comfort food in Vietnamese households. "Mặn" means salty in Vietnamese, but xôi mặn is more of a savory dish than plain old salty. The chewy texture of the rice combined with all of the savory mix-ins is delightful.

Like many dishes I've posted, this one is endlessly versatile. I use chinese sausage, pork floss, dried shrimp and mushroom as my sticky rice mix-ins. If you don't have some of these ingredients, don't fret. You can use shredded rotisserie chicken, thinly slicked Vietnamese pork roll (chả lụa), or even thinly sliced tofu. Play around with your savory mix-ins; this dish is very forgiving.

What is glutinous rice/sticky rice?

A close up shot partially showing a white plate. Brown sticky rice with chinese sausage, sliced mushroom and green onion are mixed through the rice

Glutinous rice, or sticky rice, has a gummy or sticky texture. It's much denser than regular rice (I find I don't have to eat as much to feel full!), and takes a bit longer to cook. Usually, sticky rice is soaked overnight and then steamed. I like to use my rice cooker to save time. You don't need to soak it this way and you have sticky rice in no time at all.

Sticky rice doesn't need quite as much water as regular rice to cook. Many disagree on the perfect texture for it though. My family personally likes to be able to see each individual grain of sticky rice in our dish. The rice is firmer and more gummy this way. Some like the rice to be mushier and softer. Just add a few spoonfuls of water depending on your preferred texture.

Some common mix-ins for xôi mặn

Chinese sausage (lạp xưởng)

These preserved sausages look almost like mini salami. They have a fragrant salty-sweet flavor and are specked with pork fat. These sausages are used sparingly in dishes like xôi mặn and fried rice. I love frying one up to eat with plain white rice and scrambled eggs as well! You can find these in the refrigerated section of your local Asian grocery store.

Dried Shrimp

Dried shrimp pack a ton of flavor in a small package. Often they are used to flavor stocks for noodle soups. This is another strong flavor booster and will be used sparingly in this recipe as well. Find these in the refrigerated or dried food section of your local Asian grocery store.

Pork Floss (ruốc or chà bông)

Pork floss is a dried pork product with the texture of dry cotton. It's made by stewing lean pork in a salty soy or fish sauce based sauce. The pork is then shredded along the grain and cooked in a dry pan until all the moisture evaporates and you're left with a fluffy texture. At an Asian grocery store, you may see this product labelled as pork sung or pork fu. You can also buy this online.

Shiitake Mushrooms

I don't recommend substituting another type of mushroom in this recipe. Shiitake mushrooms have a funky, earthy flavor that can't be replicated in other mushrooms. They also don't shrink or release too much moisture when cooked. I tried using button mushrooms once and it made my rice soggy and gave it an offputting brown color.

Dried shiitake mushrooms are often used in this dish. They are reconstituted in hot water and sliced. The flavor is stronger than fresh shiitakes. Fresh shiitake is easier to find, so use what is most convenient for you.

Rice Cooker Savory Sticky Rice (Xôi Mặn): Step-by -step instructions

A hand is seen scooping raw rice out of murky water inside of a rice cooker container.

Rinse your sticky rice two or three times to get rid of the excess starch. Add water and turn on your rice cooker. Let the rice cooker do its thing!

A blue bowl is seen in the upper left hand corner filled with water and dried shrimp. The bowl is on top of a wooden cutting board. Next to the bowl is a pile of thinly sliced chinese sausage

While you rice is cooking, soak dried shrimp in a bowl of warm water. Once they are soft, chop them up finely.

Slice the chinese sausage. I like large rounds of sausage in my sticky rice, but if you want everything to be the same size you can also finely dice it.

scallions in hot oil inside of a nonstick pan

Chop up a whole bunch of scallions. One bunch may seem like a lot, but once you cook it, they will wilt. Leave a handful behind for garnish and cook the rest down in oil.

sliced shiitake mushroom, chinese sausage and garlic in a cast iron skillet

In a large skillet or heavy bottomed pan, heat oil on medium and saute your shiitake mushrooms, chinese sausage and chopped dried shrimp. When the sausage is shiny and has rendered out most of its fat, add minced garlic. Cook the garlic briefly before adding soy sauce.

unmixed white sticky rice with green onions on top

Turn off the heat and add the cooked sticky rice scallion oil. Then carefully mix the rice into the ingredients. Be careful not to crush the cooked rice grains. Use a rubber spatula or your hands. When the rice is almost incorporated, add the pork floss and mix just to combine.

a white plate on on top of a fabric with a wooden pattern. On top of the plate is brown sticky rice with bits of chinese sausage, green onion and fried shallot mixed throughout.

Serve with more fresh scallions and fried shallot.

A close up shot partially showing a white plate. Brown sticky rice with chinese sausage, sliced mushroom and green onion are mixed through the rice
Print Pin
5 from 2 votes

Rice Cooker Savory Sticky Rice (Xôi Mặn)

Savory sticky rice is a classic comfort dish. The chewy, sticky rice is complemented by tons of savory mix-ins.
Course Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Vietnamese
Keyword glutinous rice, Rice,, sticky rice
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 50 minutes minutes
Servings 4
Calories 498kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup glutinous rice
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tablespoon dried shrimp, soaked and diced
  • 1 link chinese sausage, sliced thin
  • 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 bunch scallions
  • 3 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoon soy sauce, divided
  • ¼ cup pork floss optional
  • 2 tbsp fried shallot optional

Other Mix-In Suggestions

  • Vietnamese pork roll (cha lua)
  • shredded rotisserie chicken
  • thinly sliced scrambled egg
  • fried tofu

Instructions

  • Rinse the glutinous rice two or three times to get rid of the excess starch. Add water and cook according to rice cooker instructions.
  • While you rice is cooking, soak dried shrimp in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes. Dice.
  • Slice the chinese sausage into thin rounds or dice into small cubes
  • In a small nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoon of oil and cook scallions down until fragrant and bright green.
  • In a large skillet or heavy bottomed pan, remaining 1 tablespoon oil and saute shiitake mushrooms, chinese sausage and chopped dried shrimp. When the sausage is shiny and has rendered out some fat, add minced garlic. Cook the garlic briefly before adding 2 tablespoon of soy sauce.
  • Turn off the heat and add the cooked sticky rice and scallion oil. Carefully mix the rice into the ingredients. Be careful not to crush the cooked rice grains. Use a rubber spatula or your hands.
  • Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce if desired. Add the optional pork floss at this time.
  • Plate topped with fresh scallion and fried shallot

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 66.3g | Protein: 14.1g | Fat: 15.5g | Saturated Fat: 1.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6.1g | Cholesterol: 22.5mg | Sodium: 1112mg | Potassium: 128.4mg | Fiber: 4.3g | Sugar: 2.1g
Nutrition Facts
Rice Cooker Savory Sticky Rice (Xôi Mặn)
Amount Per Serving (1 bowl)
Calories 498 Calories from Fat 140
% Daily Value*
Fat 15.5g24%
Saturated Fat 1.6g10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 6.1g
Cholesterol 22.5mg8%
Sodium 1112mg48%
Potassium 128.4mg4%
Carbohydrates 66.3g22%
Fiber 4.3g18%
Sugar 2.1g2%
Protein 14.1g28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  1. yvonne do says

    November 23, 2023 at 12:09 am

    do we need to soak the rice at all? other recipes seem to call for it

    Reply
    • Suzanne Nuyen says

      September 17, 2024 at 6:08 pm

      I have not found that I need to soak the rice if I'm cooking it in the rice cooker. If you're using a stove top steamer, I reccomend soaking.

      Reply
  2. Sandy says

    January 24, 2022 at 1:09 am

    Is the serving size in the nutrition data correct? 4g seems like very little. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Suzanne Nuyen says

      January 24, 2022 at 2:11 am

      Yes, that was a typo, thank you for pointing it out! There are 4 servings in this dish. I've changed the serving size to 1 bowl as I do not have an exact gram measurement per serving. Calorie counts are approximate and based on if you split this dish evenly between four people.

      Reply
  3. Khanh says

    April 29, 2021 at 3:48 pm

    I don’t have dried shrimps. Can I omit that? Easy to follow recipe. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Suzanne Nuyen says

      April 29, 2021 at 4:17 pm

      Hi Khanh! Yes, feel free to omit what you don’t have. The idea is to add lots of savory bits to your rice. I would suggest using more sausage. You can also add rotisserie chicken (check out my ga roti recipe), pork floss, or anything else that’s salty and savory that you like!

      Reply
5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Hi! I'm Suzanne, your Bun Bo Bae. I'm a journalist, professional amateur baker, noodle enthusiast and food photographer living in Washington, DC. My immigrant parents taught me everything I know about Vietnamese home cooking, and now I want to share it with you!

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