Turmeric Sticky Rice (Nasi Kunyit) 🇲🇾 🇸🇬

Sticky rice is served many different ways in Asian cuisine, both savoury and sweet. The rice has an opaque, waxy appearance and a sweet, chewy texture when cooked.  Known also as glutinous rice, it is actually gluten free.  This Malaysian-Chinese rice dish with a vibrant yellow hue is steamed with turmeric, coconut milk and pandan leaves.  Creamy rich, fragrant and inviting, it is a celebratory dish in Peranakan family feasts, which goes famously well with curries such as beef rendang.  

*For steaming the glutinous rice, I use a 25cm /10" bamboo steamer basket on top of a saucepan that matches its size and a slightly smaller (23cm /9") shallow heatproof dish that fits into the basket (see picture below).  You can also follow instructions here for other ways to set up a steaming station.

Serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup sticky (glutinous) rice
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• a few pandan leaves*
• ½ cup coconut milk
• half a fresh lime

*Available in a packet from the freezer section of Asian grocery stores.  Thaw before use and tie them into a knot to release aroma.

METHOD

1. Place rice in a large bowl with enough cold water to completely submerge.  Use your hand to gently swirl the rice around to rinse.  Pour off the starchy water.  Repeat two or three times until the water runs clear.
2. Add clean water to cover the surface of the rice in the bowl by about 2.5cm/ 1".  Stir in turmeric and salt.  Cover  with a cling wrap and soak the rice for at least 4 hours or overnight for best results.
3. When ready, drain off the water with a sieve.  The rice will be beautifully stained in yellow.  Give the rice a rinse under the cold tap.
4. Transfer the rice to a shallow heatproof plate.  Place the knotted pandan leaves on top.  Put the plate of rice in the steamer basket and cover with the basket lid.
5. Fill a large saucepan matching the size of the bamboo steamer with 5cm /2" of water.  Bring it to the boil.  Place the steamer basket on top and steam over medium high heat for 20 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes, drizzle in the coconut milk and steam for a further 10 minutes.  Check the water level in the saucepan and add more hot water if required so it doesn't boil dry.  The rice should be soft, glossy and clump together a little when done. 
7. Fluff the rice gently with a fork and sprinkle over about 1 tablespoon of lime juice. Discard the pandan leaves and serve warm.