Zhuang Family Five-Color Sticky Rice
Traditional Zhuang food from Guangxi, colored with edible plant extracts for vibrant hues and an appealing aroma.
Ingredients
high-quality glutinous rice
3000 g
red orchid grass (for extracting red dye)
1000 g
maple leaves (for extracting black dye)
1500 g
yellow ginger (for extracting yellow dye)
250 g
Instructions
1
Extract the dyes
Wash and crush the maple leaves. After a brief sun-drying, soak them in clean water for half a day, then transfer to a pot and simmer over low heat. When the water temperature reaches 80°C, lift out the leaves and strain the liquid, reserving the juice. Wash the red orchid grass and simmer it in water; once boiled, lift out the roots and strain to reserve the juice. Crush the yellow ginger pieces, add an appropriate amount of water to squeeze out the juice, strain, and set aside.
2
Soak and steam
Rinse the glutinous rice two or three times, then divide it into 4 portions. Soak 3 of the portions separately in the black, red, and yellow dyes. Once the rice is fully colored, steam it in a bamboo steamer.
3
Mix and season
Once the rice is thoroughly cooked, remove it from the steamer and gently toss the 4 different colored sticky rices together until evenly blended. Drizzle with a little sugar oil at the table before serving.
