Thai Mango Sticky Rice Recipe, Easy Step by Step

Thai mango sticky rice (Khao Niaow Ma Muang in Thai) is one of the reasons why I love going to Thai restaurants in Singapore. Of course, Thai food is a close second in my list of favourite cuisines (first is Indian food, in case you had any doubts) and I love Thai soups and salads and curries, but mango sticky rice is what I thank them for the most. For those who haven’t tried this popular Thai dessert, it’s this beautiful pairing of fresh ripe Thai honey mango slices with sticky glutinous rice cooked in sweetened coconut milk. The combination works fabulous and I could eat  just this for a meal if I was allowed to have my way.

Every summer during mango season, I tell myself I will make this dessert this year when the Thai honey mangoes flood the markets and are cheapest. They also need to be very ripe and sweet for it them to pair well with the sticky rice. I postponed it for 3 years and finally made it this year.

Thai Honey Mangoes and uncooked Sticky Glutinous Rice

The colour of the cooked rice in my pictures looks a bit brownish because I used raw sugar to sweeten the sticky rice. If you use white sugar, the rice will look lovely and bright so try it that way if you can. The rice used for mango sticky rice is called ‘glutinous rice’ on the packets in Singapore supermarkets and is white and opaque, crumbling easily as you bite into a grain. I picked them up from the Chinese dry food section. It’s sold in small packets of not more than 300 grams. Using the correct rice is important to make Thai sticky rice with mangoes.

Also check out vegetarian Tom Kha soup recipe, pad thai noodles recipe, and a mean green curry recipe I learnt from a vegetarian cooking school in Bangkok.

Thai Mango Sticky Rice Recipe

 

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Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

Thai mango sticky rice is arguably the most popular dessert from Thailand. Paired with seasonal fresh honey mangoes, it's really a treat and quite easy to make at home. Here's how.

Author: nags

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Thai

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• ½ cup of sticky, glutinous rice
• ½ cup of thin coconut milk (see notes)
• ½ cup of thick coconut milk
• 2 tbsp of coconut cream (optional)
• 3 tbsp of sugar (adjust to taste)
• ½ tsp of salt
• 1 sweet, ripe mango (preferably Thai honey mango)
• 2 tsp of toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. Soak the rice for 30 minutes and add the thin coconut milk to it (do not drain the soaking water). Simmer on a low flame until the rice is cooked and soft. You can add some water if the rice gets too dry while cooking.
2. It will become quite mushy as it cooks and gets softer.
3. Meanwhile, simmer the thick coconut milk with the sugar and salt on very low flame until it starts to bubble up.
4. Add this to the cooked rice and mix well.
5. Keep covered for 15-30 mins until the rice has fully absorbed the coconut milk mixture.
6. You can check for sweetness at this time and add more sugar if needed.
7. Serve the rice warm with chilled mango pieces with some drizzling of coconut cream on top (if using) and some toasted sesame seeds.

3.5.3208

1. Soak the rice for 30 minutes and add the thin coconut milk to it (do not drain the soaking water). Simmer on a low flame until the rice is cooked and soft. You can add some water if the rice gets too dry while cooking.

It will become quite mushy as it cookes and gets softer.

2. Meanwhile, simmer the thick coconut milk with the sugar and salt on very low flame…

… until it starts to bubble up.

3. Add this to the cooked rice and mix well.

4. Keep covered for 15-30 mins until the rice has fully absorbed the coconut milk mixture.

You can check for sweetness at this time and add more sugar if needed.

That’s it! Serve the rice warm with chilled mango pieces with some drizzling of coconut cream on top (if using) and some sesame seeds.

Notes:

1. If using canned coconut milk, dilute it with equal amounts of water to get the ‘thin’ coconut milk to cook the rice in
2. You can also cook the rice in water and add all the coconut milk at a later stage. I felt the rice may have more flavour if cooked in coconut milk from the beginning do I tried that
3. Coconut cream is available in asian stores and pretty much everywhere in SIngapore. I am not sure of availability in other locations though