Thailand · Thai desserts
Mango sticky rice
Warm, glossy sticky rice soaked in sweet and lightly salted coconut milk, served with slices of ripe golden mango, a thick salted coconut sauce and a crunch of toasted mung beans: the classic Thai dessert.
Editorial selection: recipes cross-checked against several documentary sources. They have not been tested in our kitchen: follow the precautions given and adapt times to your own oven.
Photo: Dennis Wong from Hong Kong, Hong Kong · CC BY 2.0 · Source · cropped
original Original text, written in English.
Read this recipe infrançais · translationespañol · translationEnglish · original
- Servings
- 4
- Preparation
- 10 min
- Cooking
- 30 min
- Resting
- 260 min
- Total
- 300 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
Cuisine / tradition: Thai desserts (TH) — declared by the author
- Dessert
Ingredients
For 4 servings
- 300 g glutinous (sticky) rice, long grain
- 250 ml full-fat coconut milk, for the rice
- 70 g sugar, for the rice
- 1/2 tsp salt, for the rice
- 1 piece pandan leaf, knotted (optional)
- 200 ml full-fat coconut milk, for the topping sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar, for the topping sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt, for the topping sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp rice flour or tapioca starch, for the topping sauce
- 3 piece very ripe sweet mangoes (Thai honey or ataulfo)
- 1 tbsp toasted yellow mung beans or toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
Method
- Step 1. Rinse the glutinous rice in several changes of water until it runs almost clear. Cover with cold water and leave to soak for at least 4 hours, or overnight.⏱ 240 min
- Step 2. Drain the rice and spread it in a steamer basket lined with a damp cloth or muslin. Steam over boiling water for 25 minutes, until the rice is soft, sticky and translucent.⏱ 25 min
- Step 3. Meanwhile, warm the 250 ml of coconut milk with the 70 g of sugar, the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the pandan leaf in a small pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Do not let it boil.⏱ 3 min
- Step 4. Put the hot steamed rice in a bowl, remove the pandan leaf and pour the warm coconut mixture over the rice. Mix gently, cover and leave for 20 minutes, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.⏱ 20 min
- Step 5. Topping sauce: in a small pan whisk the 200 ml of coconut milk with the tablespoon of sugar, the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the rice flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes, until it thickens slightly. Cool.⏱ 5 min
- Step 6. Peel the mangoes and slice the flesh thickly off the stone.
- Step 7. Serve a mound of the sticky rice on each plate with slices of mango alongside, spoon over the topping sauce and sprinkle with the toasted mung beans or sesame seeds.
Story and cultural note
Khao niao mamuang, mango sticky rice, is a Thai dessert of glutinous rice steamed then soaked in sweetened coconut milk, served with ripe mango and a salted coconut sauce, often with toasted mung beans or sesame seeds. The sources agree on soaking the rice for at least 4 hours or overnight, steaming it, and mixing it with warm coconut sauce, and differ on the quantities of sugar and coconut milk, on pandan leaf for fragrance and on the thickener for the topping. Ripe mango is essential; the Thai mango season runs approximately from February to April.
Tips for success
Use long-grain glutinous rice, rinse it well and soak it for at least 4 hours. Steam it, do not boil it. Pour the warm, not boiling, coconut milk onto the hot rice and let it rest so that every grain absorbs it. Use very ripe, sweet mangoes. Serve the rice warm or at room temperature, and keep the topping sauce slightly salty for contrast.
Serving and presentation
Serve on a plate with the rice in a dome, the mango sliced alongside, the topping sauce spooned over the rice and the toasted mung beans or sesame seeds on top.
Diet and allergens
Information declared by the author. CookHuddle does not verify or certify it. If you have an allergy, check the ingredients yourself.
DietVegetarianVeganGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free
Containsnone declared
May contain traces ofSesame

