Ingredients
Filling
- 500 gglutinous rice, soaked overnight
- 150 gblack beans or red beans, soaked and part-cooked
- 400 mlthick coconut milk
- 100 gsugar
- 1 tspsalt
Equipment
- 6fresh bamboo tubes, one node closed
- banana leaf, for plugging
- a charcoal fire
To serve
- on its own, or with mango
Directions
- Use fresh green bamboo with one node left closed to form the base of the tube. Dry bamboo burns through and cracks, so the tubes must be green.
- Soak the glutinous rice overnight and drain it. Part-cook the beans until just tender, because they will not soften fully inside the tube.
- Mix the coconut milk with the sugar and salt until dissolved. Fill each tube about two thirds with the rice and beans. Pour in the sweetened coconut milk to just cover the rice, and let it settle.
- Steam has to escape or the tube becomes a pressure vessel over a live fire, which is exactly as dangerous as it sounds.
- Roast for about an hour and a half, turning each tube a quarter turn every 15 minutes.
- Turn them regularly or one side chars through while the other stays raw. They are ready when the outer bamboo is blackened and the rice inside is soft, sticky and fragrant.
- Let them cool, then split the tube by tapping along its length with the back of a knife and peeling the outer layers away.
Technique
- The bamboo membrane is part of the presentation and buyers peel it back as they eat.
- It is also made with taro, with pandan, or with a custard layer on top.
- It keeps a day or two in its tube.
Substitutions
- Foil-lined tubes or a bamboo steamer, which cooks the rice but loses the point.
- Red beans, black-eyed peas or taro in place of black beans.
Variations
- With taro chunks through the rice.
- With a layer of thick coconut custard at the top.
- Khao lam with black glutinous rice, which is darker and nuttier.
History
Sticky rice with coconut and beans roasted inside bamboo tubes, sold at roadside stalls and made for festivals along the Mekong.
Frequently asked questions
What is Khao Lam?
Khao Lam is a snack from Laos: sticky rice, coconut and black beans roasted inside bamboo. Sticky rice with coconut and beans roasted inside bamboo tubes, sold at roadside stalls and made for festivals along the Mekong.
How long does Khao Lam take to make?
Khao Lam takes 30 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 tubes. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Khao Lam?
Yes, within limits. Foil-lined tubes or a bamboo steamer, which cooks the rice but loses the point. Red beans, black-eyed peas or taro in place of black beans.
What is the most important thing to get right in Khao Lam?
Use fresh green bamboo with one node left closed to form the base of the tube. Dry bamboo burns through and cracks, so the tubes must be green.
