Mangoes are available all year round, although in the summer when they are in season, there are abundance of them. Loved by many, mangoes are versatile. For myself, I prefer the sweeter version, but when unlucky and I chance on a sour one, they will turn into juices or end up in my cooking – mangoes in sambal belacan gives the sambal an extra umph!
I am not making sambal belacan today, too bad, although that’s not a bad idea actually.
Anyway, I want to finish up my sticky rice – there is just a tiny bit left. So mango sticky rice for dessert it will be.
Mango sticky rice is a popular dessert in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand. It’s basically sticky rice, sweetened with coconut milk and sugar, served with cut mangoes. What a delight! And bonus, they’re not difficult to make.
You’ll need:
Coconut sticky rice:
- ½ cup (uncooked, obviously) sticky rice/glutenous rice – no substituting with any other type of rice.
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
Salted coconut sauce:
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp water
Others:
- 1 perfectly ripe mango
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame/split mung beans, optional
Making the coconut sticky rice:
Firstly, get things in order. When using sticky rice, always remember that it needs to be soaked beforehand. So, rinse well under cold water, at least three times until the water becomes clear. Leave it to soak. My preference is overnight.
The following day, drain the water, set up your steamer and steam the rice for about 20 minutes until al dante. You can line your steamer with banana leaves for extra fragrant. If not, a non-stick parchment paper will do just fine. There are other methods to cook sticky rice but in my experience, steaming is the foolproof way.
While the rice is cooking, pour the coconut milk into a saucepan. Add the sugar and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Keep warm.
When the sticky rice is cooked, transfer into a bowl. Pour the coconut mixture. Stir and break up any lumps. You’d want each grain of rice to be coated with the coconut milk.
Return the rice to the steamer and continue to cook until it is perfectly cooked through. This will be for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Making the salted coconut sauce:
Heat the coconut milk and salt in a saucepan.
Mix the water and the tapioca starch until there are no lumps. Combine with the coconut milk.
Continue to cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a gentle boil and the sauce has thickened. Take off the heat and let it cool.
To assemble:
Serve the sticky rice next to the cut mangoes. Pour the salted coconut sauce over the sticky rice and sprinkle with the toasted sesame/mung beans.
Enjoyx
