How to cook xoi gac: a beautiful red, chewy separate grains and never claggy

A good xoi gac has a natural orange-red colour, chewy but separate grains, a light sheen and no wet layer at the bottom. This recipe for 8-10 portions explains everything from choosing the gac, soaking the rice and mixing the colour to steaming it twice, so a beginner can avoid an undercooked centre, a soggy result or patchy colour.

Quick facts

• Serves: 8-10 people.
• Preparation: 30 minutes.
• Soaking the rice: 6-8 hours.
• Steaming: 40-50 minutes.
• Difficulty: medium.

Ingredients

• 1 kg of good glutinous rice.
• 1 ripe gac fruit of 1-1.5 kg.
• 150-200 ml of thin coconut milk.
• 100-150 g of sugar, to taste.
• 8 g of salt.
• 20 ml of oil or clarified chicken fat.
• Toasted sesame and shredded coconut, optional.

Choosing and preparing the ingredients

The rice should have even, fragrant grains with no mould. A ripe gac has orange-red skin with the spines opened out, feels heavy and is not bruised. The flesh around the seeds should be a bright red; discard anything with an unusual fermented smell.

Rinse the rice gently, soak it for 6-8 hours, then drain it and leave it for at least 20 minutes. Cut the gac open, take the flesh and seeds and mix them with a little salt; traditionally a very small amount of rice wine is used, but it is not essential. Mix the gac into the rice with clean utensils so the colour is even.

Step 1: prepare the steamer

Bring the water to the boil first, with the level not touching the base of the steamer. Spread the rice in an even layer without pressing it down, and make a few holes for the steam. Wrap a cloth around the lid so condensation does not drip onto the rice.

Step 2: the first steaming

Steam over a medium heat for 20-25 minutes. Open it quickly, turn the rice over from the bottom and move the outside grains into the middle. If the grains are still dry, sprinkle over a very little warm water rather than pouring it in a stream.

Step 3: add the coconut milk

Mix the coconut milk with some of the sugar and the salt and pour it over the hot rice in stages, turning it gently. Steam for another 15-20 minutes. Adding too much liquid at once leaves the bottom soggy while the top is still undercooked.

Step 4: finish the sheen

When the grains are cooked through and chewy, add the rest of the sugar to taste along with the oil or chicken fat, turn it gently and steam for 5 minutes. Sugar added too early can make the grains take longer to soften.

Step 5: shaping it

Tip the rice onto a clean tray and fluff it for 5 minutes so the excess steam escapes before you press it into a mould. Press it only just enough; pressing it while it is too hot and wet makes it claggy.

Ten small tips

1. Soak the rice for long enough.
2. Drain the rice thoroughly.
3. Mix the gac in evenly before steaming.
4. Keep the water off the steamer base.
5. Make holes for the steam to escape.
6. Wrap a cloth under the lid.
7. Turn the rice over between the two steamings.
8. Add the coconut milk a little at a time.
9. Add the sugar near the end.
10. Let the steam escape before pressing.

Common mistakes and what to do

The rice is raw in the middle

Make holes for the steam, sprinkle over a little warm water and steam for another 10 minutes; do not pour in a lot of water.

The bottom is soggy

Condensation, or too much coconut milk. Turn it out onto a wide tray to let the steam escape, then steam it again in a thin layer.

The colour is patchy

The rice was not mixed well or was too wet. Separate the paler part, mix in a little gac flesh and steam it again.

The rice is dry and hard

It was not soaked long enough. Sprinkle over a very little warm coconut milk, cover it with a cloth and carry on steaming.

Scaling the recipe up or down

Two kilos of rice should be split between two steamers or done in batches; too thick a layer blocks the steam. Increase the coconut milk gradually according to how much the rice actually absorbs.

When you double the recipe, choose wider equipment rather than stacking the ingredients in layers. Start strong seasonings at about 1.7 times and taste again, because the surface area for evaporation does not scale linearly. When you halve the recipe, switch to a smaller pot or pan to keep the depth of liquid and the rate of heat transfer appropriate.

Organising the work so the dish is ready on time

Read the recipe through, weigh the ingredients and sort them into raw food, the parts to be cooked, vegetables that are eaten as they are, and the finishing touches. Have a separate clean tray for cooked food. A knife, board or pair of tongs that has touched raw food must be washed before it is used again. Do the steps that can be kept cold in advance, and leave the herbs, the frying or grilling and the assembly until close to the meal.

If you are cooking for a crowd, note down when each stage started and check the dish by temperature, tenderness and colour together, not by the clock alone. Taste a spoonful that has cooled for a few seconds, because food that is too hot makes salt and sweetness hard to judge accurately. Adjust the seasoning only in small amounts.

Serving and presentation

The rice can be pressed into a mould and scattered with sesame or shredded coconut; it is eaten with pork loaf on a savoury tray or served as something sweet. Do not cover it while it is still steaming.

Preparing ahead and storing

Xoi gac is best on the day. Divide it into containers once the steam has subsided, but do not leave it out for more than 2 hours; keep it cold and steam it again until evenly hot. You can freeze portions, but they must be wrapped tightly.

Cooked food should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Divide leftovers into shallow containers, chill them and use them within 3-4 days; when reheating, bring the whole portion to 74C. Only reheat what you are going to eat, and throw away anything with an odd smell, sliminess or other unusual sign rather than tasting it.

Allergy and safety notes

Coconut milk matters to anyone sensitive to it, and the sesame and accompaniments can be allergens. If you use rice wine when mixing the gac, say so even though the amount is small.

Pregnant women, young children, older people and anyone with a weakened immune system should eat food that is cooked right through and avoid cross-contamination. Read the label on packaged seasonings, as fish, shrimp, soy, wheat, egg, milk or peanut can appear in ready-made products.

Checking the finished dish

Before serving, check the safe temperature, the tenderness, the colour, the smell and the amount of liquid. Move the dish to clean bowls or plates and add the garnish close to serving time. If it has to wait, keep it hot properly but avoid carrying on with a strong heat, which dries the meat, softens the vegetables or thickens the liquid. Note down how much liquid and seasoning you actually used, so it is easier to repeat next time.

Controlling the heat and the equipment

The equipment should suit the quantity: too wide a pot boils the liquid away quickly, while too small a pot spreads the heat badly and leaves the food piled up. Heat it gradually and watch the size of the bubbles, the sound of the sizzle and the rate of evaporation, rather than just holding one setting on the dial. When you need to top up, use hot water so the cooking is not interrupted.

A food thermometer is a checking tool, not a substitute for looking at the texture. Measure at the thickest point, keeping away from bone and the bottom of the pot, and clean the probe before and after each use. With a dish of several components, check the largest piece or the part sitting in the cooler area of the pan.

A systematic way to taste and adjust

Before tasting, stir or ladle out a representative amount of the liquid and let it cool for a few seconds. Work out whether the dish is short on salt, sweetness, acidity, richness or aroma, and change only one element at a time. Strong seasonings such as fish sauce, shrimp paste, sugar or acid should go in a small spoonful at a time, and you should wait until they have dissolved completely before judging again.

If a dish is too salty, the thing that actually lowers the concentration is adding suitable unsalted ingredients or liquid, not adding sugar to mask it. If it is too sweet, increase the liquid and the salt a little before adding acidity. If the spices are harsh, take the bag or the solids out and let the dish rest; carrying on cooking usually makes the smell stronger.

A checklist before it goes to the table

• The raw ingredients have been cooked to a safe temperature.
• The vegetables eaten raw have been washed and drained.
• The serving utensils have not touched raw food.
• Hot dishes are hot enough and cold dishes are kept cold.
• The seasonings, dipping sauces and allergens have been clearly announced.
• The effect of the waiting time on crispness, chewiness or thickness has been allowed for.