Deutsch Xôi Mặn / Xôi Lạp Xưởng (Chinese Sausage Sticky Rice) holds a special place in the hearts of Southern Vietnamese kids as their beloved breakfast.
Here, I will show you how to prepare this “Chinese sausage sticky rice” either in a super easy and quick way with the Instant Pot or the traditional way with the stovetop.
Table of Contents
🙋♀️ What is Xôi Mặn?
In Vietnam, Xôi Mặn / Xôi Lạp Xưởng is a particular sticky rice dish with a variety of savory toppings such as Chinese Sausages (lạp xưởng), Vietnamese Liver Pâté, Vietnamese Ham (chả lụa), Vietnamese Pork Floss (chà bông)…
Xôi Mặn is popular street food thoughout the South, while in the northern regions, people are more familiar with Xôi Xéo (sticky rice with hand-cut mung bean) or Xôi Thịt Kho (sticky rice with braised pork & eggs).
☘️ Origin
Vietnamese cuisine gets a lot of cool vibes from French and Southern Chinese/Cantonese flavors. It has made its way into many awesome fusion dishes that we all love.
Bánh Mì and Vietnamese Iced Coffee are the most iconic French-Vietnamese dishes, but we also have:
For me, Xôi Mặn seems to be influenced by Chinese immigration in Southern Vietnam. You may find it quite similar to Nuo Mi Fan / Lo Mai Fan (糯米飯, Chinese Sticky Rice) and You Fan (油飯, Taiwanese Sticky Rice).
More Vietnamese recipes with Chinese influence:
🍚 Ingredients
Sticky rice:
You can use any types of sticky rice. Sticky rice is also known as sweet rice or glutinous rice. Despite the name “glutinous,” it is entirely gluten-free.
Sticky rice is essential for this dish and cannot be substituted with Jasmine rice or Sushi Short-grain rice.
While sticky rice is a staple for daily meals in Thai and Lao cuisines, in Vietnamese cuisine , it’s popular for breakfast and significant family events like weddings, Lunar New Year, and death anniversaries (đám giỗ).
Some popular are Bánh Chưng (square sticky rice cake), Xôi Gấc (sticky rice with Gac fruit), and Xôi Khúc (sticky rice dumplings).
Sticky rice is also used to make desserts like Chè Chuối Nướng (grilled banana sticky rice) or to prepare the orange dipping sauce (like in Brodard restaurant, CA) for Nem Nướng (grilled sausage skewers).
Toppings:
There are various toppings for Xôi Mặn, you could choose according to your preferences:
- Chinese Sausages: diced into small pieces (could be substituted with SPAM or Salami…)
- Chả Lụa (Vietnamese ham): sliced into thin strips (recommended)
- Ham: sliced into strips
- Quail eggs: boiled
- Egg omelette: sliced into thin strips (recommended)
- Tôm Khô (Dried shrimps): soaked to rehydrate, then chopped
- Shredded cooked chicken
- Fried crispy shallots
- Pork floss
- Vietnamese liver pâté (recommended)
- Tép Khô (tiny shrimp crisps)
- Mỡ Hành (Vietnamese green onion oil) (highly recommended)
Seasonings:
- Cooking oil: for sautéing the toppings
- Soy sauce, sugar, and chicken powder.
🥬 Vegan Topping Options:
For the vegan version, you can easily opt for:
- Vegan ham
- Vegan sausage
- Asian Mushrooms (Shiitake & Oyster Mushrooms are the best choices)
- Fried tofu
- Seaweed
- Choi poh (Chinese preserved radish)
📝 Instant Pot Method
Cook the sticky rice in Instant Pot:
This method is similar to my recipe for Instant Pot Sticky Rice (Thai Khao Niao):
- Wash and rinse the sticky rice several times until the water runs clear. Soak the sticky rice in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain the sticky rice and lightly season it with ⅓ tsp chicken powder, ¼ tsp sugar and 1 tsp cooking oil. Mix well.
- Pour 1.5 cups (360ml) water into the pot. Place the steamer with the sticky rice inside the pot, ensuring the water doesn’t touch the rice. Use a chopstick to create some holes among the rice to allow for better ventilation during steaming.
- Close the lid. Cook using the “Steam” mode with high pressure for 20 minutes, then let it naturally release for another 20 minutes.
Prepare the Scallion Oil:
You can prepare the scallion oil and toppings while the sticky rice is cooking
- In a heat-resistant bowl, mix chopped green onions with salt and sugar.
- Heat up the cooking oil in a saucepan until it reaches the smoking point. Pour the hot oil over the green onions. Mix well and set aside.
Prepare the Toppings:
- In the same saucepan, sauté all the toppings for about one minute (except for pork floss and dried tiny shrimp crisps, if using). Season them with soy sauce and sugar according to your taste.
- When the Instant Pot finishes cooking, open the lid, and mix the toppings and tiny shrimp crisps with the sticky rice. Cook the sticky rice using the “Sauté” mode on high heat for about 2 minutes.
Serve:
- When serving, place the sticky rice in a bowl or on a plate. Drizzle scallion oil over the sticky rice, and add liver pate and pork floss, if using. Enjoy!
📝 Stovetop Method
- After washing and rinsing the sticky rice, soak it in cold water overnight or for at least 5 hours. If you live in a hot and humid climate, I recommend refrigerating the rice during soaking to prevent sticky rice from fermenting.
- When it’s time to cook, wash and rinse the rice again. Drain it well and lightly season the sticky rice with 1 tsp cooking oil, ¼ tsp sugar, and ⅓ tsp chicken powder.
- Place the sticky rice in a steamer and create some holes among the rice to allow for better steaming. Steam the sticky rice on medium heat for 35-45 minutes. During steaming process, open the lid every 15 minutes and gently stir the sticky rice. It could ensure even cooked sticky rice.
- The next steps are similar to Instant-Pot Method.
Don’t forget to check out my compliation of Asian Instant Pot Recipes , if you love Asian food and are a fan of this convenient cooking mate.
Some recipes I like:
If you’ve tried this recipe or any others from my blog, please share your creations with me on Instagram by tagging #savour_thepho or mentioning me in your stories with @savour_thepho . I would be thrilled to see what you’ve made and it would definitely brighten my day! Don’t forget to stay in touch with me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube 🥰.
Xôi Mặn / Xôi Lạp Xưởng (Chinese Sausage Sticky Rice)
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot
- 1 Steamer (fitting inside your Instant Pot)
Ingredients
The savory sticky rice
- 1 cup sticky rice (220g)
- 1.5 cup water (360ml)
- ⅓ tsp chicken powder
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cooking oil
Toppings for Xôi Mặn
- 1 link Chinese sausages (Lạp xưởng) (or SPAM, Salami…) (diced into small pieces)
- Vietnamese ham (Chả lụa) (thinly sliced)
- Ham (thinly sliced)
- Vietnamese Liver Pâté
- 2 tbsp Tiny Shrimp Crisp
- Soy Sauce (to your taste)
- Sugar (to your taste)
- Chicken Powder (to your taste)
Other topping suggestions
- Shredded cooked chicken
- Dried shrimps (soak to rehydrate, then chop)
- Egg Omelette (sliced into strips)
- Pork floss
- Boiled quail eggs
- Fried crispy shallots
Scallion oil
- 2 sprigs scallions
- ¼ cup cooking oil (60ml)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch sugar
Instructions
Cooking with Instant Pot:
- Wash and rinse the sticky rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Soak the sticky rice in boiling water for about 30 minutes.
- After draining the sticky rice, lightly season it with ⅓ tsp chicken powder, ¼ tsp sugar and 1 tsp cooking oil.
- Transfer the seasoned rice into a steamer that fits inside your Instant Pot. For better ventilation during steaming, use a chopstick to create small holes among the rice grains.
- Add 1.5 cups (360ml) water into the Instant Pot. Carefully place the steamer with the sticky rice inside the pot, ensuring that the water level does not reach the rice.
- Securely close the lid of the Instant Pot. Cook the rice using the "Steam" mode with high pressure for 20 minutes, and then allow it to naturally release pressure for another 20 minutes.
Preparing the Scallion Oil (make this while the sticky rice is cooking):
- In a heat-resistant bowl, combine chopped green onions with salt and sugar.
- Heat the cooking oil in a saucepan until it reaches the smoking point. Carefully pour the hot oil over the green onions. Mix well and set aside.
Preparing the Toppings:
- In the same saucepan, sauté all the toppings for about one minute (except for pork floss and dried tiny shrimp crisps, if using). Season them with soy sauce and sugar to your liking.
- Once the Instant Pot finishes cooking, open the lid, and combine the toppings and tiny shrimp crisps with the sticky rice. Cook the sticky rice using the "Sauté" mode on high heat for approximately 2 minutes.
Serving:
- When serving, place the sticky rice in a bowl or on a plate. Drizzle Vietnamese scallion oil over the sticky rice, and add Vietnamese liver pâté and Vietnamese pork floss, if using. Enjoy!
Cooking on Stovetop:
- After washing and rinsing the sticky rice, soak it in cold water for at least 5 hours (or overnight). In a hot and humid climate, I advise to refrigerate the rice during soaking to prevent fermentation.
- When cooking, wash and rinse the rice again. Drain it well and lightly season the sticky rice with 1 tsp cooking oil, ¼ tsp sugar, and ⅓ tsp chicken powder.
- Put the sticky rice in a steamer and make some holes among the rice to enhance steaming. Steam the sticky rice over medium heat for 35-45 minutes. To ensure even cooking, open the lid and stir the sticky rice every 15 minutes during the steaming process.
- The subsequent steps are similar to cooking Xôi Mặn with an Instant Pot.
