Ingredients
Rice
- 300 gThai glutinous rice
- water, for soaking
Coconut sauce
- 400 mlthick coconut milk
- 100 gsugar
- 1 tspsalt
- 1pandan leaf, knotted, optional
Topping sauce
- 100 mlthick coconut milk
- ½ tspsalt
- 1 tsprice flour
To serve
- 2ripe nam dok mai or honey mangoes
- 1 tbsptoasted mung beans or sesame seeds
Directions
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then soak it at least 4 hours, or overnight. Un-soaked glutinous rice steams to a hard core with a soft outside, every time.
- Drain the rice and steam it, not boil it, in a lined steamer or a cloth-lined basket for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Turn the rice over halfway through so the top layer cooks as evenly as the bottom. It is done when the grains are translucent and tender right through with no chalky centre.
- Tip the hot rice straight into a bowl and pour over about three-quarters of the hot coconut sauce. Both must be hot.
- Fold it through gently, cover the bowl, and leave it 20 to 30 minutes. During that rest the rice swells and takes up every drop, and the surface goes from wet to glossy.
- Serve before the rest and it is a soup. For the topping sauce, warm the remaining coconut milk with the salt and the rice flour, stirring until it thickens slightly. Peel the mangoes and slice the cheeks off either side of the stone, then slice them thickly.
- Serve at room temperature: a mound of rice, the mango beside it, the salty sauce spooned over the rice and toasted mung beans scattered on top. Never serve it cold from the fridge.
Technique
- Nam dok mai and ok rong are the Thai mango varieties used, both sweet with no fibre.
- It is best within a few hours of making and does not keep overnight.
- Toasted split mung beans are the traditional topping; sesame is the common substitute.
Substitutions
- Any sweet, non-fibrous ripe mango, such as Ataulfo or Alphonso.
- Toasted sesame seeds in place of mung beans.
Variations
- With durian in place of mango, which is a Thai favourite.
- Coloured with butterfly pea flower for blue rice.
- With ripe jackfruit.
History
A dessert combining sweet, ripe mango slices with glutinous rice cooked in sweetened coconut milk, documented across Thailand as one of the country’s most beloved and internationally recognized desserts, traditionally prepared specifically during mango season when the fruit is at its sweetest and most flavourful. Its combination of warm, slightly savory coconut-sweetened rice with cool, fresh mango reflects a broader Thai dessert tradition of balancing temperature and flavour contrasts within a single dish, rather than relying on sugar alone for its appeal. Mango sticky rice remains one of Thailand’s most internationally celebrated desserts, widely considered one of the country’s signature culinary exports.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mango Sticky Rice?
Mango Sticky Rice is a dessert from Thailand: ripe mango with coconut-cream sticky rice, hot-season treat. A dessert combining sweet, ripe mango slices with glutinous rice cooked in sweetened coconut milk, documented across Thailand as one of the country’s most beloved and internationally recognized desserts, traditionally prepared specifically during mango season when the fruit is at its sweetest and most flavourful. Its combination of warm, slightly savory coconut-sweetened rice with cool, fresh mango reflects a broader Thai dessert tradition of balancing temperature and flavour contrasts within a single dish, rather than relying on sugar alone for its appeal. Mango sticky rice remains one of Thailand’s most internationally celebrated desserts, widely considered one of the country’s signature culinary exports.
How long does Mango Sticky Rice take to make?
Mango Sticky Rice takes 20 min plus 4 hr soaking of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Mango Sticky Rice?
Yes, within limits. Any sweet, non-fibrous ripe mango, such as Ataulfo or Alphonso. Toasted sesame seeds in place of mung beans.
What is the most important thing to get right in Mango Sticky Rice?
Tip the hot rice straight into a bowl and pour over about three-quarters of the hot coconut sauce. Both must be hot.
