Thai Sticky Rice with Fresh Mango
Have you ever had a craving for something you’ve never actually had before?
…Because that happened to me the other day. I cannot recall ever having sweet sticky rice, in my life, but for whatever reason, I wanted it more than anything! Cue me breaking out my giant, authentic, Thai recipe book that I’m kind of obsessed with.
This is a pretty simple recipe, in that it doesn’t involve a ton of ingredients. But, it can be a little tricky to prepare if you, like me, don’t actually own a bamboo sticky rice steamer…or you know…any sort of steamer…
I really could have sworn I owned some kind of steamer but alas—nope! So, I improvised! I lined a fine mesh sieve with two layers of cheesecloth, and put the soaked rice in that. Then, I rested inside a large pot, with simmering water a few inches below. The lid was a little wonky fitting but it worked well enough! I was able to steam the rice!
If you are unsure what sweet rice is, this is what the type I use looks like:
It’s also called “glutinous rice.”
This dessert is so super tasty, and it definitely satiated my bizarre craving! It’s not overly sweet, but just sweet enough. Super ripe mangoes make it even better. Of course, if you don’t have mangoes, any other fruit would do—even bananas sound like they’d be super delicious with it! This dessert also happens to be completely vegan, though not by design.
I chose to garnish my sticky rice with black sesame for a tiny bit of crunch, and contrasting color, but something like toasted coconut would also be lovely.
PrintThai Sticky Rice with Fresh Mango
Yield: serves 4-8
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sweet (or glutinous) rice
- 13.5 oz can coconut milk, refrigerated for at least 1 hour
- 3 tbsp dark brown sugar, separated
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 fresh mango, sliced
- black sesame seeds
Directions:
- Place the rice in a bowl, and pour cold water in, 2 inches above the rice. Allow to soak for 4 hours, or over night. Drain, and transfer the rice to a steamer. (I don't own a steamer, so I made one on my own by lining a large fine mesh sieve with cheesecloth---not fancy, but it will work!) Set the steamer over boiling water. Lower the heat, cover, and steam for 25-25 minutes, or until the rice is tender (time will vary based on soaking time).
- Meanwhile, scoop almost all of the the thick cream top off the coconut milk, and set aside. Transfer the remainder to a small pot. Add in 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar, and the salt. Heat over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, and the texture is uniform. Stir into the cooked rice.
- In the same small pot add in the coconut cream, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and the texture is uniform.
- Stop the rice into serving bowls. Serve with fresh mango and coconut cream to pour over top. Garnish with the sesame seeds.
recipe adapted from The Food of Thailand --- a journey for food lovers
