Coconut Sticky Rice; sweetened creamy coconut rice served with coconut milk sauce, toasted sesame seeds, and ripe juicy mango.
Thailand. One of those places that seems like they stuffed a whole planet of culture into one relatively small country. Something you can see reflected in its food.
Thai food is one of the most popular cuisines in the world, happily spread across Asia, Europe and America. Mostly thanks to its mastery and appreciation of the beautiful balance of sweet, spicy, sour, bitter, and salty in one plate.
Today we’re travelling to Thailand for dessert. Let’s talk about Khao Niao Mamuang, or coconut sticky rice. Served everywhere from street food stalls to fancy Thai restaurants abroad, this stuff is world-famous. A combination of deeply satisfying sticky rice dressed in a sweet coconut sauce, served with ripe juicy refreshing mango.
It’s very different to the desserts I’ve experienced from living in Europe, but that’s exactly what attracted me to this dish.
Have you watched the Desserts of the World series on YouTube?
Small disclaimer (as is always the case in this Desserts of the World series!). While I tried to take influence and inspiration from as many websites and videos as possible while looking into making this coconut sticky rice, I wasn’t able to find the exact best type of rice. Typically sticky sushi rice or glutinous rice are used, and the dish is sweetened with delicious palm sugar. Where I am in north Italy, these things are a bit tricky to locate, so I’ve improvised with some basic short grain starchy arborio rice, and a combination of white and brown sugar. It’s not authentic, but it’s tasty!
This recipe is not only loveable, but very simple to make. You’ll need a bit of time to wash and cook the rice, and to allow it to soak up those coconutty flavours. However, you can serve it as quickly as you like. Eat it hot, warm, or even cold the following day. It’s equally enjoyable at every temperature in my experience.
Serve it up in a little ball or quenelle shape, with sliced or diced ripe mango on the side. Oh, and please appreciate that I paid FIVE EUROS for this singular imported out-of-season mango here in southern Europe!!
Drizzle over some more of that coconut dressing and sprinkle with nutty toasted sesame seeds before tucking in.
I hope you enjoy this one.
Let’s make coconut sticky rice!
Want to save this coconut sticky rice for later? You can pin the image below:
To make this coconut sticky rice, just follow the recipe below:
Coconut Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) – Desserts of the World
Ingredients
- 300g sticky rice, glutinous rice, or sushi rice (in a pinch you could also use arborio risotto rice)
- 400ml coconut milk
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1-2 ripe mangoes, or 1-2 tins of mango slices in juice/syrup
- 1-2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional, for decoration)
Instructions
- Wash your measured rice a few times with cold water, ideally until the water is running clear.
- Pour it into a large saucepan with double the volume of water.
- Bring the pan to the boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat and cover the pan to allow the rice to cook for 20 minutes or until soft and the water has been absorbed.
- Meanwhile, pour your coconut milk, sugars, and salt into a small pan and heat and stir gently until the sugar has dissolved.
- Once the rice has cooked, pour in just enough of the coconut sauce to cover the rice and allow it to soak for 30 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce for topping later.
- Stir the coconut-soaked rice to evenly distribute the thickened coconut sauce.
- Serve with extra coconut sauce, the fresh mango (cut into slices or cubes), and toasted sesame seeds.
- Enjoy hot, warm, or cold!
BE A MAVERICK: feel free to add extra sugar to the coconut milk sauce if you like a sweeter dessert.
This coconut sticky rice will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days but is best enjoyed fresh!
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It’s best to not wash the rice for sticky rice since this washes away the starch dust that allows the rice to clump. Soaking the sticky rice in enough water to cover the rice softens the grains and the extra water helps add that fluffy texture. 4-24 hours is a good range.