About This Recipe
Mango sticky rice (Khao Niaow ma Muang) is a trendy Southeast Asian dessert and street food, especially enjoyed during the mango season. It is made with sweet rice/glutinous rice, also known as sticky rice. It has a very different appearance from your regular white rice varieties. The rice is steamed first and then mixed with a sweet coconut milk sauce. It is then topped with more delicious coconut sauce and served with sweet mangoes and toasted sesame seeds (or mung beans). It is heavenly and delicious. The taste of this tropical rice dessert is irresistible. It’s good whether served cold, room temperature, or warm. Best of all, learning how to make Mango sticky rice is simple! All you need is a handful of pantry ingredients that are low in budget but big on flavor. It’s a creamy dessert that is a beautiful finish to a meal.
Ingredients
Below is the ingredients list and possible substitutions. The exact ingredient amounts are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Sweet coconut sticky rice – Thai white glutinous rice, also known as Thai sweet or Thai sticky rice. You cannot replace it with any other variety of rice. Jasmine rice or any other rice won’t work in this recipe. You can find this rice from any Asian store near you. It’s also available online.Coconut milk – good coconut milk is essential here. Traditionally this dish is made using fresh coconut milk. But I have used canned milk. Make sure it is of high quality and has no added ingredients. My choice would be Chaokoh or Aroy-D brands. Shake the can well before opening it as the coconut milk tends to separate inside the can if sitting for a long time.Salt –The salt helps balance the sweetness of the rice, so together, you end up with a dish with a bit of everything: sweet, salty, and fruity. It also helps keep the whole thing moist!Granulated sugar – I used white sugar to make this recipe, but you can use brown sugar or jaggery to create a healthier version. But keep in mind that the color of the rice will change.Mango: Make sure to use Ripe mangos. Use any sweet and non-stringy mangoes that you can find at your grocery stores.Cornstarch: This is just to thicken the sauce to stay on the rice and not run all over the plate. You can use rice flour instead of cornstarch.Sesame seeds – For the topping.
Step-by-step process
Wash the rice about 5 to 6 times or until the water runs clear, lightly rubbing the rice together to remove the starch.And then add 4 cups of water and allow the rice to soak in water for 6 hours or overnight. This is the one step where it’s best to think ahead before starting this mango sticky rice recipe so you have time to soak it.Once your sticky rice has soaked for about 6 hours, drain it.Add 3 cups of water to a steamer pot and boil the water.Place the soaked and drained rice on a bamboo steamer or any steamer plate lined with cheesecloth or parchment paper.Note: You can use any steaming method you’d like, but make sure the sticky rice is placed somewhere above steam in a pot and covered.
Steam the rice for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked, slightly translucent, and still very chewy.
While your sticky rice is steaming, you can get started on the coconut sauce.In a medium-sized saucepan, coconut milk, sugar, and salt.Place it on a stovetop. Stir it and cook the sauce until the sugar completely dissolves.Turn off the heat when the coconut milk boils, and the sugar fully dissolves.Once the rice is cooked, take it in a heat-proof bowl.Add the coconut sauce to the rice, a little at a time, and gently mix it with the sticky rice.When you’re finished, you should almost have a sticky grain pudding-like texture, and the rice should be shining and glistening because of all that coconut fat.
Toppings
In a small bowl, dilute the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon of water. Keep it aside.Add the remaining coconut milk, sugar, and salt to the same pan (In which we cooked the coconut sauce) over medium-high heat. Stir in the same direction and cook over medium heat until it boils.Once it boils, lower the heat.While stirring the coconut milk, pour in the cornstarch mixture.Turn off the heat and keep stirring until it thickens.Now transfer the sauce to a small container or pourer.Mango sticky rice wouldn’t be complete without Mango, and for this mango sticky rice recipe, you’ll need perfectly ripe mangoes that are silky in texture (not stringy mangoes).Peel the mangos and slice them thick into wedges.
Combining it all
Once you have all your components for this Thai mango sticky rice recipe ready, it’s time to dish out a plate.Put some coconut sticky rice down on the base of a plate or bowl, slice on fresh Mango, serve the extra coconut cream on the top, and sprinkle on some sesame seeds.Thai Mango Sticky rice is ready. Enjoy!!
Make ahead tips
The thai mango sticky rice is best served the day it is made, but you can make the sauce ahead to make the serving day much easier. For example, make the coconut sauce (for rice and serving) a couple of days ahead and reheat it before mixing it with the rice and serving.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
For the best flavors and texture, serve it within the day it is made. However, leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat refrigerated sticky rice, cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave, or cover it with a dry paper towel and steam until the rice is steaming hot. Add some coconut sauce to loosen it up a bit. Let cool to room temp before serving. The salted coconut sauce will last at least one week in the fridge without any issues. Then, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
As sticky rice (sweet rice) is the main ingredient of this recipe, do not substitute it with any other local or jasmine rice. They can be found in Asian markets or online also.Rinse the rice very well until the water runs clear.Use good quality coconut milk.Always use sweet ripe mangoes.Make sure to chill the mangoes before serving.Adjust the amount of sweetener to your liking.For more flavor, simmer the coconut milk and sweetener with a pandan leaf for several minutes to add extra aromatic flavor.You have to use sweet rice/sticky rice/glutinous rice only for this recipe. Please do not make it with any other rice. You can find it in the Asian aisle of your grocery store or order online.The coconut cream should be a nice balance of sweet and salty. You can adjust the salt and sugar to taste.For the best flavors, serve this dessert immediately.
More Thai Recipes
Thai Mango saladPanang curryThai peanut curryThai peanut noodlesPineapple fried rice
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