Thai Sweet Sticky Rice & Mango
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Soak Time
3 hours or overnight
Perfect Thai Sticky Rice– Ready to elevate your dessert game!
Our version of Thai sweet sticky rice with coconut sauce is a little less sweet than the traditional recipe, with just a hint of salt to balance out the sweetness. Picture soft, warm sticky rice soaked in creamy coconut milk, paired with juicy, ripe mango for the ultimate flavor experience. Even our tough teen critics gave it a perfect 10 out of 10!
But wait, there’s more! In Thailand, sticky rice is not just reserved for sweet mangoes. It’s served with a variety of sweet and savory toppings that can satisfy every craving. From the classic coconut custard to shredded sweet coconut, savory shrimp with coconut flakes, or dried fish topped with crispy shallots—the possibilities are endless!
My mother was my first cooking teacher, imparting her wisdom on everything from making curry paste from scratch to peeling a mango. (Here’s how it’s done: we push the knife away from our bodies for safety—How to Peel a Mango.)
In Thailand, mangoes come in many varieties. While most people are familiar with the sweet, golden mangoes like Nam Dok Mai and Ok Rong, which are often paired with sticky rice, there are also green mangoes that are firm, tangy, and best suited for savory dishes. For an in-depth look, you can check out the Michelin Guide on Thai mangoes.
Whether you’re indulging in a traditional Thai dessert or putting your own spin on it, this sweet sticky rice is sure to please. It’s perfect for sharing with friends or treating yourself to something special!
Ingredients
- 3-4 ripe yellow mangoes
- 2 cups Thai sticky rice (also called sweet rice or glutinous rice)
- 3 cups water
- Alum (optional)
Butterfly Pea Water (optional)
-
10-15 butterfly pea flowers
- 3 cups water
- A wedge of fresh lime
Coconut Mixture
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp salt
Coconut Cream Topping
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 ½ -2 tbsp sugar
- 1 ½ ts rice flour
- ¼ ts salt
Cooking Tools
- Steamer
- Cheesecloth
Directions
Prepare Butterfly Pea Water (Optional)
- In Royal Thai cuisine, which values both the quality of ingredients and the beauty of presentation, sticky rice is often infused with butterfly pea water before steaming to give it a vibrant purple hue.
- To prepare the butterfly pea water, bring water to a boil and then remove from heat. Add fresh or dried butterfly pea flowers and let them steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain the flowers and reserve the infused liquid.
- Next, squeeze fresh lime juice into the water, adding a few drops at a time. This will transform the color from blue to purple—the more lime juice you add, the deeper the shade of purple. Allow the water to cool before using it to soak the sticky rice for a minimum of 3 hours, or overnight for best results.
Rinse Sticky Rice
- Add sticky rice to a bowl filled with water and rinse and repeat 4-5 times or until the water is no longer cloudy. You may use alum to scrub the rice as part of the rinsing process to give a nice sheen to the rice.
- Soak the sticky rice in water (or the water with the butterfly pea) for 3 hours or overnight.
Cook Sticky Rice
The best way to cook Thai sticky rice is to steam with a steamer and cheesecloth, or in a bamboo steamer. Add water to the bottom section of the steamer, lay cheesecloth on the second tier of the steamer, drain the rice and spread the rice evenly on the cheesecloth.
Cover with the steamer lid. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to medium heat and steam for 10-15 minutes, depending on how long you soak the rice.
Prepare Coconut Mixture
- Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Simmer over low heat until sugar and salt dissolve. Turn off the heat and add coconut mixture to steamed sticky rice while it is hot.
- Add steamed sticky rice to a glass mixing bowl, slowly pour coconut mixture onto hot rice and gently mix together. Cover the bowl with a lid and let it sit for 20-30 minutes until steamed rice absorbs the coconut mixture.
Make Coconut Cream Topping
Add all ingredients in a saucepan. Mix together over low heat and stir until the sauce thickens.
Turn off the heat and drizzle over the sticky rice before serving with fresh mango. Rather than use coconut cream, you can experiment with coconut or other flavors of ice cream.
Recipe Note
In Thailand, sweet sticky rice is traditionally topped with roasted yellow mung beans, adding both flavor and texture. To prepare them, soak the mung beans in water for about an hour. After soaking, roast them in a pan over medium heat until they turn a crispy, golden yellow.
For a quicker method, bring water to a boil, add the mung beans, then turn off the heat. Let the beans sit for 10 minutes, drain them, and roast on low heat for 7-8 minutes or until they become crisp and golden.
To customize your dish, you can also use other toppings like sesame seeds, ground peanuts, cashews, pistachios, or any other favorite ingredients.
Enjoy!
