Sometimes the simplest things are the best

In this world of increasingly complex gastronomic contrivances, it is always pleasant to find something simple and delicious. A good example is Mango and Sticky Rice. I first had this dish at an LTH dinner at Elephant Thai. A handful of rice with a slice of Mango. The simplest dish imaginable, yet absolute ambrosia. At the time, I think Evil Ronnie and I made similar comments about how amazing it was that just two ingredients could combine to create something that was so much more than its individual components.

So what is the secret? I have Sticky rice (which I have never made before). How do I properly prepare this traditional Thai treat?

Does anybody else have any examples of similarily simple and synergistic ingredients?

I make this frequently when mangos are in season, and I happened to have made it two nights ago for a treat after dinner.
SO simple.

Rinse the rice till the water runs clear in the morning, then cover it with water to soak for 5 hours or more.

Then, steam the rice. I use a pasta pot with the insert. I wrap the rice in a kitchen towel. Steam it until it's your desired texture.

put a can of coconut milk into a sauce pan, and lightly, very lightly. simmer. Add in some brown sugar to taste. (I don't own palm sugar.) Reduce it by about 1/4th. Let it cool - it will thicken even more.

Put the rice in a bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of coconut milk to flavor the rice, and let it soak up. This step is only to flavor the rice a little. This is not the final dousing of coconut milk mixture. The rice will soak up the few spoons of coconut milk. Then, plate - rice, a saucing of coconut milk, and then your mango. You can web up recipes all day long. It's simple as pie.

seebee wrote:I make this frequently when mangos are in season, and I happened to have made it two nights ago for a treat after dinner.
SO simple.

Rinse the rice till the water runs clear in the morning, then cover it with water to soak for 5 hours or more.

Then, steam the rice. I use a pasta pot with the insert. I wrap the rice in a kitchen towel. Steam it until it's your desired texture.

put a can of coconut milk into a sauce pan, and lightly, very lightly. simmer. Add in some brown sugar to taste. (I don't own palm sugar.) Reduce it by about 1/4th. Let it cool - it will thicken even more.

Put the rice in a bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of coconut milk to flavor the rice, and let it soak up. This step is only to flavor the rice a little. This is not the final dousing of coconut milk mixture. The rice will soak up the few spoons of coconut milk. Then, plate - rice, a saucing of coconut milk, and then your mango. You can web up recipes all day long. It's simple as pie.

I must make this.

Do you use normal long-grain jasmine rice? Or are you using something specific for this dish?

...KP: you use sticky ("glutinous," in quotes because it does not actually have gluten) rice from a Thai grocery. If you have a rice cooker, it works fine to use the measures that relate specifically to glutinous/sticky rice. My basic Japanese machine has rice/water lines for this. Or follow the nstructions on the bag. No doubt Seebee's method probably works best of all. If you can't get to one of the Thai groceries in town, Koprean and Japanese strains of sticky rice work fine but they are not quite there. I have a kid who loves this stuff (loves it with durian instead of mango even more) and this item tends to be overpriced on otherwise insanely reasonable Thai menus around town, so I make it.

JeffB wrote:I have a kid who loves this stuff (loves it with durian instead of mango even more)

Now that's impressive.

Thanks for the info about the rice! Now that you mention it, this does sound like it'd be right up my kids' alley.

This is one of those things I always plan to do a picture thread on making it. It really is one of the easier / most delicious things ever. If you ever read the nutrition label of a can of coconut milk, you'll soon realize why. (Hate to rain on the parade.) Mango with sticky rice is really just a free form danish (with more fat and sugar.) Apparently, it's "good fat" though, I think.

I'm currently using a rice I bought in a Korean store labeled "Sweet Rice" which, I gathered from some random websurfing, is sticky rice or a variant thereof. The brand is "Asian Taste" and it reads "Longrain Sweet Rice." On the back it says "Product Of Thailand." When I make it, it turns out pretty much the same as the stuff I've had in restaurants.

Thanks all, especially Seebee. I was worried about getting the consistency right (I just perfected making regular rice). I didn't think about wrapping it in a towel. I am going to make this a regular summertime treat.

This is one of the great combinations. Must try steaming the rice - I've never made it that way. I usually partially cook the rice and then finish cooking in coconut milk. Sweet glutinous rice; jasmine works in pinch too.
Talking of pinches, here's a quick 'cheater' version I've made to moderate success (as in it is not the preferred method, but works). Useful for small quantities or when you have some leftover coconut milk from other things.

Mix rinsed/washed rice + coconut milk + sugar in glass bowl, microwave till done
(I generally put in liquid till it is slightly higher that the rice in the bowl, stop and stir (and add more liquid if it is getting too dry)
A long time ago I saw a you tube video with some thai ladies doing this microwave method*

Some sesame seeds with the thick coconut fat (you can skim this and reserve from the top of the opened unshaken can) with the mango works well too.

*edited to add
May have been this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxmNsQ_T0oc

seebee wrote:This is one of those things I always plan to do a picture thread on making it. It really is one of the easier / most delicious things ever. If you ever read the nutrition label of a can of coconut milk, you'll soon realize why. (Hate to rain on the parade.) Mango with sticky rice is really just a free form danish (with more fat and sugar.) Apparently, it's "good fat" though, I think.

I'm currently using a rice I bought in a Korean store labeled "Sweet Rice" which, I gathered from some random websurfing, is sticky rice or a variant thereof. The brand is "Asian Taste" and it reads "Longrain Sweet Rice." On the back it says "Product Of Thailand." When I make it, it turns out pretty much the same as the stuff I've had in restaurants.

Well, here we go, y'all. From the producers of such fine posts as Red Curry - Seebee Style and Helloooooo, Thali! comes a new installment of...can't finish that one with a straight face - anyway, Mango With Sticky Rice - here we go:

The Players:


Step 1:
Put your desired amt of rice (this is sticky rice, or glutinous, rice, it ain't just Uncle Ben's) a bowl, and cover with water. Like all rice, you wanna rinse it until the water runs clear. I generally just cover it with water, then agitate it with my hand to wash it, then pour out the cloudy water, and add new water - repeat until the water is clear:



Let it soak for a good 6 hrs. Ater the good soak, drain it:


Once drained, it's time to break out the some kind of steamer. I always fall back on the old "8 qt pasta cooker with insert:"


I line the shallow insert with a thin kitchen towel, and pour the drained rice in:


Then you crank up the fire, and let the rice steam for a little while. For this amount (it's about two cups of rice,) it steamed for about 20 minutes. That's 20 minutes AFTER it comes to a rolling boil:


Now, for these guys:


Dump the coconut milk into a saucepan, then add some brown sugar (if you're fancy, use palm sugar,) and a touch of vanilla. For the standard sized can, we're talking like two tbs of brown sugar, and about a teaspoon of vanilla:



Over low heat, let the mixture come to a very low simmer, stirring pretty constantly. Let it reduce by about 1/4. It will thincken even more as it cools:


Put your steamed rice into a bowl, and add in some of your coconut milk mixture. This is to flavor the rice a little. You want to save some of the coconut milk mixture for your final plating/saucing:


Fold the coconut milk into your rice - it will soak in:


Now, it's time for...THE MANGO WAR!

I'm not gonna lie. I CANNOT cut a mango like your favorite Thai joint. I just can't. I'm about the mangle this sumbitch, but I try.

Time to plate.
Rice (shape it if you feel fancy:)


A saucing of the coconut milk mixture, and some of the mangled mango:


A gratuitous shot of the lime leaf with my 100.00 ebay refurb Nikon:


As I've said before, this is easy as sin. I'd suggest if you don't know your way around a mango, to stick with the small, yellow, ones, but if you want it to be sweet, a rule of thumb is that it should have a few wrinkles on it- I guess that is supposed to mean it's getting to the really ripe stage. The small, yellow ones, are normally gonna have less of a chance of being stringy, unless you really know what you are looking for.

Love it, seebee. Thanks for posting.

Seebee,

Thanks. This is going right into my repertoire for vegan desserts that everyone else eats.

It looks stunning.