Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang)

Name: Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 300 g Thai glutinous (sticky) rice, soaked in cold water at least 4 hours or overnight; 400 ml full-fat coconut milk; 80 g palm sugar (or light brown sugar); ½ tsp salt; 1 pandan leaf, tied in a knot (optional, traditional); 2 ripe yellow mangoes (Nam Dok Mai or Ataulfo), peeled and sliced; 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds or split mung beans, for garnish; 1 tsp rice flour (optional, for thickening the salty topping)

Steamed Thai glutinous rice drenched in sweet coconut milk, beside ripe mango slices and a salty coconut drizzle.

Total time45m

Active time20m

Servings4

DifficultyEasy

Cost$

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🍚

Thai sticky rice

Glutinous variety that holds its shape after steaming

🥭

Nam Dok Mai mango

Ripe yellow Thai variety — the traditional pairing

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Two-thirds, one-third

Sweet coconut on the rice; salty topping over the top

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15-minute rest

The key step — rice drinks the milk into pearl pudding

Ingredients 4 servings

300 g Thai glutinous (sticky) rice, soaked in cold water at least 4 hours or overnight
400 ml full-fat coconut milk
80 g palm sugar (or light brown sugar)
½ tsp salt
1 pandan leaf, tied in a knot (optional, traditional)
2 ripe yellow mangoes (Nam Dok Mai or Ataulfo), peeled and sliced
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds or split mung beans, for garnish
1 tsp rice flour (optional, for thickening the salty topping)

How to make it

1Drain the soaked rice; line a steamer basket with cheesecloth or banana leaf, tip in the rice and steam covered over a moderate boil for 20–25 minutes, lifting the cloth halfway to flip the mound so it cooks evenly — done when the grains are translucent, glossy and chewy-tender all the way through.
2While the rice steams, warm 300 ml of the coconut milk in a small saucepan with the palm sugar, salt and pandan leaf, stirring just enough to dissolve the sugar without bringing it to a boil; reserve the remaining 100 ml for the salty topping.
3When the rice comes hot off the steamer, tip it into a wide bowl, fold through two-thirds of the warm sweet coconut milk with a spatula until each grain glistens, then cover and rest 15–20 minutes so the rice drinks the milk and swells to a soft pearl-pudding consistency.
4For the salty topping, simmer the remaining 100 ml coconut milk with a generous pinch of salt and the teaspoon of rice flour for 2 minutes, just until it thickens lightly.
5Mound the warm coconut rice on a plate with the mango slices alongside, drizzle the salty coconut cream across the top, scatter toasted sesame seeds or split mung beans, and eat with a spoon, a little rice and a little mango in every bite — warm coconut-sweet against cool fruit-sharp is the dish itself.