Mango sticky rice is a popular dessert in South East Asia and is made using sticky rice, coconut milk, and ripe mangoes. It’s a popular vegan street-style dessert and can be made easily at home.
Here are some more Thai recipes, that you can try – Thai Fried Rice, Asian Pad Thai Noodles, Thai Red Chicken Curry, Thai Pineapple Fried Rice, Thai Iced Tea, Thai Watermelon Salad and Thai Pumpkin Noodle Soup.
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About This Recipe
Mango sticky rice (Khao Niaow ma Muang) is a very popular Southeast Asian dessert. It is made using sticky rice which is also known as sweet rice or glutinous rice. The cooked sticky rice is mixed with a sweet coconut milk sauce and served with slices of juicy ripe mangoes.
You will find street carts selling mango sticky rice in the Indochinese region of southeast Asia which includes countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos.
You can make this Thai mango and sticky rice at home using my easy recipe. Traditionally, this rice is soaked for 8-10 hours and then steamed. But today, I am sharing a super easy recipe where you can make it in a pot over the stovetop or even in an Instant pot.
Just gather the ingredients and get going!
Ingredients
Sticky Rice – Sticky rice is the main component of this dish. This rice is sweet and glutinous and is also sold as glutinous rice or sweet rice.
Sticky rice is a variety of rice that is gluten-free. The cooked grains are semi-opaque and have a sticky and gooey texture.
This rice is the staple starch of Thailand and it’s called khao neow (ข้าวเหนียว) in the local language. As the name suggests, this rice is extremely sticky and will stick to your fingers once cooked.
You can source this rice from any Asian store near you. These days it’s available in most grocery stores (check the Asian aisle) and even online.
You cannot replace it with any other variety of rice. Jasmine rice or any other rice won’t work in this recipe.
Coconut Milk – Traditionally this dish is made using fresh coconut milk. But you can use canned milk as well. Make sure it is of high quality and has no added ingredients. Shake the can well before opening as the coconut milk tends to separate inside the can if sitting for a long time.
Sugar – I used white sugar to make this recipe but you can use brown sugar or even jaggery.
Toppings – Sticky rice is topped with juicy ripe mangoes, sesame seeds, and roasted crushed peanuts. Choose the mangoes from Thailand or India as they are ripe and juicy and have vibrant orange flesh.
Make sure to chill the mangoes before serving.
How to make Mango Sticky Rice?
Start by cooking the rice. We can cook the rice in one of the 3 ways
- Traditional Method – In the traditional method, the rice is soaked for 8-10 hours. It is then drained and layered on a steamer. It is steamed for 20-25 minutes until it is translucent.
- Pot Method – This is how I cooked the rice. Add the rice to a pot along with some coconut milk and water and cook on low heat until tender.
- Instant Pot Method – In this method, washed rice is added to an Instant pot along with water and cooked until tender. You can check the detailed recipe of how to cook sticky rice in an instant pot here.
I am cooking the rice using the pot method.
Wash the sticky rice 3-4 times to get rid of the excess starch. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.
Drain the water and add the rice to a medium size pan along with 1 cup water, ½ cup coconut milk, ¼ tsp salt, and 2 tablespoon sugar, and stir gently.
Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook on low heat until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked (20-25 minutes).
Add the remaining ½ cup coconut milk and 2 tablespoon sugar to another small saucepan.
Cook on low heat until the sugar melts. Keep stirring while cooking. Remove the pan from heat.
Scoop the cooked rice in 4 shallow serving bowls. I used a small bowl to shape the rice. I added ¼th of the cooked rice to a small bowl and pressed it tightly and then inverted the bowl in the center of the serving bowl to unmold the rice. Prepare all 4 bowls in the same manner.
Top the rice with chilled ripe mango slices and drizzle the coconut milk and sugar mixture on top. Sprinkle sesame seeds, mung beans, and peanuts on top and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can serve it either way. I personally like to serve it cold, because the coconut sticky rice tastes best when served with chilled fresh mangoes. But you can warm the rice in a microwave before serving.
If you like it warm, the best way to heat it again is in a microwave. Place the sticky rice in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for about a minute.
If you don’t have a microwave, you can steam the rice in a steamer until it is warm again.
It has processed sugar and thus cannot be considered healthy. But you can replace the sugar with a healthy alternative such as coconut nectar for mild sweetness and you have a healthy version of the same.
Storage Suggestions
Store the rice and coconut milk sauce in different containers for about 4-7 days in the refrigerator.
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Recipe Card
Mango Sticky Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Thai sticky rice
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2-3 ripe mangoes (peeled and cut into cubes or slices.)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon toasted yellow mung beans
- 1 teaspoon toasted peanuts
Instructions
- Start by cooking the rice. We can cook the rice in one of the 3 ways
- 1.Traditional Method – In the traditional method, the rice is soaked for 8-10 hours. It is then drained and layered on a steamer. It is steamed for 20-25 minutes until it is translucent.2.Pot Method – This is how I cooked the rice. Add the rice to a pot along with some coconut milk and water and cook on low heat until tender.3. Instant Pot Method – In this method, washed rice is added to an Instant pot along with water and cooked until tender. You can check the detailed recipe of how to cook sticky rice in an instant pot here.
- I am cooking the rice using the pot method.
- Wash the sticky rice 3-4 times to get rid of the excess starch. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.
- Drain the water and add the rice to a medium size pan along with 1 cup water, ½ cup coconut milk, ¼ tsp salt, and 2 tablespoon sugar, and stir gently.
- Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook on low heat until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked (20-25 minutes).
- Add the remaining ½ cup coconut milk and 2 tablespoon sugar to another small saucepan.
- Cook on low heat until the sugar melts. Keep stirring while cooking. Remove the pan from heat.
- Scoop the cooked rice in 4 shallow serving bowls. I used a small bowl to shape the rice. I added ¼th of the cooked rice to a small bowl and pressed it tightly and then inverted the bowl in the center of the serving bowl to unmold the rice. Prepare all 4 bowls in the same manner.
- Top the rice with chilled ripe mango slices and drizzle the coconut milk and sugar mixture on top. Sprinkle sesame seeds, mung beans, and peanuts on top and serve.
Farida Banu
The interesting recipe will try soon.
Neha Mathur
Sure. Do try.