Black glutinous rice — a variety of sticky rice with an outer bran layer rich in anthocyanins (the same purple-blue pigments as in blueberries, red cabbage, and purple sweet potato) — simmered slowly in water with palm sugar until the rice is fully cooked and the liquid has reduced to a thick, slightly sweet, deeply purple-black syrup. Served warm or at room temperature in a bowl, with sweetened coconut cream poured over the top. Khao neow dum is one of the most visually striking of all Thai desserts — the near-black surface of the cooked rice against the pure white coconut cream — and its flavour is the combination of the slightly nutty, earthy flavour of the whole-grain black rice and the sweetened coconut cream's richness.
**The rice:** Black glutinous rice (khao neow dum) has the same texture requirements as white glutinous rice (Entry TH-14) — it must be soaked before cooking. However, unlike white glutinous rice, black sticky rice is cooked by simmering in liquid on the stove rather than by steaming — its whole-grain structure requires a gentler, more gradual hydration than steam alone provides. **The preparation:** 1. Soak the black sticky rice for 8 hours (same as white — the outer bran layer does not change the soaking requirement). 2. Drain. Place in a pot with water (approximately 4 times the volume of the rice). 3. Bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 45–60 minutes. 4. The rice absorbs the water and the anthocyanins from the bran leach into the cooking liquid — turning it deep purple to black. 5. As the water is absorbed, add palm sugar (dissolved) in the last 15 minutes of cooking. 6. The finished dessert: rice in a thick, slightly sweet, deeply purple syrup. The rice grains should be fully tender, slightly sticky (glutinous), with the anthocyanin-stained syrup coating every grain. 7. Serve with sweetened, salted coconut cream poured at the table. **The anthocyanin effect:** The purple colour of the finished dessert comes from the anthocyanin pigments in the black rice bran. These pigments are pH-sensitive — in acidic environments they turn red; in alkaline environments they turn blue-green. The slightly acidic environment of cooked rice (from the natural acidity of the rice bran) produces the characteristic deep purple colour. Decisive moment: The palm sugar addition timing — added in the final 15 minutes, not at the beginning. Sugar added at the beginning of cooking inhibits the full hydration of the rice grain by increasing the osmotic pressure of the cooking liquid, which draws water out of the rice cells rather than allowing them to absorb. Add the sugar only after the rice has fully hydrated and is nearly tender. Sensory tests: **Sight — the colour:** The finished dessert should be deep purple to near-black from the anthocyanin — vivid, saturated, glossy. The white coconut cream on top provides the maximum contrast. If the colour is dull or brownish: the rice was overcooked past the point at which the anthocyanins were stable. **Taste:** Slightly sweet (the palm sugar's caramel depth), slightly nutty and earthy (the bran of the whole-grain rice), with a hint of the slightly woody, slightly grape-adjacent note of the anthocyanin compounds. The sweetened coconut cream's richness provides the counterpoint — rich against earthy, sweet against subtly bitter.
David Thompson, *Thai Food* (2002); *Thai Street Food* (2010)