Mango Sticky Rice

Khao niao mamuang (mango sticky rice) is Thailand's most celebrated dessert: glutinous rice steamed and sweetened with coconut milk, served alongside perfectly ripe mango slices and a drizzle of salted coconut cream. The mango must be Nahm Dok Mai (the Thai variety with a honey-like sweetness) at peak ripeness. The sticky rice must be just cooked, warm, and fully saturated with sweetened coconut milk. The salted coconut cream on top provides the contrast that makes the dessert complete.

‹Swipe for the next dish›

Serves4

Total35 min

Within reach0of 6 in Nelson

Six not yet within reach.

How the 6 are reached

Not yet within reach: 6 · sweet sticky rice, coconut milk, palm sugar, ripe Ataulfo or Nam Doc Mai mangoes, vegetable oil, sesame seeds

Cook

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The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

200 g

sweet sticky rice

glutinous rice

Origin · ThailandNot yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

400 ml

coconut milk

full-fat

Origin · Sri Lankan coconut (Coconut Research Institute of Sri Lanka), Sri LankaNot yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

75 g

palm sugar

or to taste

Origin · IndonesiaNot yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

5 ml

salt

Your own market

ripe Ataulfo or Nam Doc Mai mangoes

peeled, pitted, sliced lengthwise

Not yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

30 ml

vegetable oil

Not yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

2 tablespoons

sesame seeds

white, toasted

Not yet within reach of Nelson · each reach is counted

Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.

The larder of Nelson →

The Method

Rinse sticky rice under cold water until water runs clear; drain.

Cook rice in rice cooker or pot with 240 ml water until just tender and grains are sticky, 15–18 minutes; let rest 5 minutes covered.

While rice cooks, combine coconut milk, palm sugar, and salt in small saucepan over medium heat; warm gently, stirring until sugar dissolves, 3 minutes; do not boil.

From the canon — Fresh coconut milk — extracted from freshly grated coconut flesh rather than purchased in a can — and the technique of 'cracking' it: heating the thick, fat-… Coconut Milk: Cracking, Frying, Reducing →

Transfer hot rice to bowl; pour half the coconut syrup over rice; fold gently with rubber spatula until evenly absorbed, 2–3 minutes.

Arrange mango slices on serving plate; mound warm coconut rice alongside.

From the canon — Jasmine rice cooked in a mixture of thin coconut milk and water — the coconut milk's fat and sugar providing a subtle enrichment to the cooked rice without m… Coconut Rice (Khao Man Mamuang Base) →

Drizzle remaining warm coconut syrup over rice and mango; sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds; serve warm or at room temperature.

III

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where mango sticky rice lives or dies is the mango selection. An unripe mango makes the dessert unpleasant. The correct mango should be fragrant at the stem end, yielding slightly to pressure, and devoid of any green areas. In Thailand, the vendor knows when the mango is at its peak — at a Thai market, point at the mango and ask. In a supermarket: smell first, press second, look third.

Pillar IV

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