Thai Sticky Rice with Mango: A Perfect Summer Dessert

The very authentic and famous dessert of Thailand is mango with coconut sweetened sticky rice. Its heavenly taste is a perfect pudding at parties or dinners. Often available as a street food in Thailand, the combination of sweetened coconut mixed in the glutinous rice is absolutely divine. Making Sticky rice with mango at home is even easier and is surely going to be a sensation for a dinner party. The highlight of the dish is the creamy sweetened coconut flavour that blends amazingly with rice. Besides, the delicious, fresh and juicy mangoes are a big bonus.

Origin

For at least 4000 years, Southeast Asia’s mainland has been cultivating sticky or glutinous rice. This rice is still the staple in China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The streets of Thailand sell this very famous pudding dessert that is relished by the foreign tourists coming. The dessert is called as khao neow mamuang, where khao neow implies glutinous sticky rice and mamuang means mango in Thai. 

Method of Preparation

Sticky rice with mango is not too much work while preparation. Steaming of rice is followed by pouring coconut cream over it. The mango pieces are served at the side and eaten with the sweetened rice through a spoon or simply with hand(s). In fact, the ingredients used are also too simple and easily available. Follow the complete steps to get best results.

For rice:

• 1 kg Thai sticky rice 
• 800ml Coconut cream 
• 150 g sugar 
• 1 teaspoon salt 

For the toppings:

• 200 ml coconut cream 
• 1/3 teaspoon salt 
• Sweet yellow mangoes 
• 100 g yellow mung beans (optional)

Steps to Prepare

• Take one kg Thai rice in a bowl and let it soak for about six hours. Water quantity should be about six times the quantity of rice. (The purpose is to remove the starch, which will go after soaking)
• Make the assembly for steaming of rice. This will require a mesh cloth, basket, and a cooking vessel.
• Over the cooking vessel, add good amount of water to allow it to boil that will steam the rice
• Place the basket containing the rice in mesh cloth over the cooking vessel
• Switch on the flame
• Allow the rice to steam for about 12 to 15 minutes
• While this steaming process is taking place, take the coconut cream and start heating
• To the coconut cream, add sugar and salt
• Mix this mixture in one direction till it starts boiling
• Turn off the flame
• Take out the rice and transfer the rice into a deep bowl
• Start adding the coconut cream slowly: add a couple spoons and mix, repeat till all the cream is mixed till like a pudding consistency. Keep this aside for a while.
• Take about 100g mung beans
• Roast them till they start changing colour
• Boil some more coconut cream to add in the final stage of serving
• Take a plastic bag the size of hand, make a mitten out of it
• With the mitten in your hand, keep the rice to a corner of the bowl
• Take out some of this sweetened rice and transfer into a dessert plate
• Now, cut the mango slices smooth into a nice size and shape of your choice
• Keep these slices over the rice
• Sprinkle the mung beans over the rice
• Pour some coconut cream again over the rice so that there is more creamy flavour

A dessert one can easily make for the summer dinner parties to impress your guests: Make them taste the flavour of this Thai dish. An easy to make, nummy pudding with the richness of sweet coconut cream, this dish is the association of sweetness from coconut as well as mango, which makes it a super hit among everyone.