Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Sticky Rice with Mango and Coconut

Sticky rice with mangoes and coconut milk seems so simple - rice topped with sweetened coconut milk and chunks of fresh fruit. And yet, each time I tried to make the dish at home, the result was nothing like the dessert I'd eaten in Thai restaurants.

This weekend, I tried again, using a recipe created by Rachael Rappaport of Coconut and Lime. And, this time, I finally got the flavor and texture I'd been hoping for.

The secret to the dish is the rice. As I learned in my prior failed attempts, jasmine or basmati rice won't do. Instead, the recipe uses "sticky rice" (also known as "glutenous rice" or "sweet rice"), which can be found in Asian markets. (I bought mine at the H Mart in Aurora.)

Once I located right recipe, and found the sticky rice, the dish came together easily. The recipe does require a little time, because the rice needs to be soaked for one hour before it is cooked, but I worked on other projects while the rice was soaking. The only difficult part of the process was restraining myself from drinking the sweetened coconut milk before it was combined with the rice.

If you can't find good mangoes, I think the sweetened rice would also be good with fresh peaches or nectarines.

7 comments:

Kitt said...

Yum! One of my favorite desserts. I first had it at Taste of Thailand on Old Hampden.

Did you use white rice or purple? I usually combine the two, and let it soak overnight first. So tempting to eat the whole batch at once ...

Beatrice said...

I used white rice. Where did you find the purple? Does it taste any different?

Very tempting to eat the whole batch at once! Or, to eat it for breakfast...

B

Summer Nicklasson said...

This is by far my favorite dessert. The combination of sweet and salty is just so perfect. It makes my tastebuds sing!!!

When I make this I use basmati and it works great, but I'm cooking it in a rice cooker, so perhaps that aids in the stickiness?

Kitt said...

The purple rice is also called black rice, and you can find it in any Asian grocery.

Here's an example.

I just use half purple and half white rice.

Michelle said...

I think I've also seen brown sweet rice at the store, which would make this extra healthy!

Beatrice said...

I bet the nuttiness of the brown sticky rice would go well with the coconut milk, too, Michelle.

How did I miss all the other types of sticky rice at Hmart? Next visit...

Summer, I used a rice cooker with the basmati rice, too, so I'm not sure why my result was different (perhaps different rice cookers?). It is a great dessert and I'm glad that I now know how to make it at home.

Anonymous said...

Have you tried the microwave version? I had great luck with that -
http://www.thaifoodtonight.com/thaifoodtonight/recipes-YOUTUBESweetRiceMango.htm