Sticky Rice: Glutinous Rice and the Soaking Requirement

Glutinous or sticky rice (khao niaw) — the staple grain of Northern Thailand, Laos, and much of Southeast Asia — is fundamentally different from jasmine rice in its starch composition and therefore its cooking technique. Thompson's documentation establishes that sticky rice cannot be boiled in the conventional sense — it must be soaked and then steamed, and attempts to boil it produce a gluey, waterlogged result.

Glutinous rice soaked in cold water for minimum 4 hours (overnight preferred), drained, and steamed in a bamboo basket over boiling water for 20–25 minutes, flipped halfway through. The finished rice should be tender, slightly sticky (grains cling together when pressed), and slightly translucent.

• Japanese mochi (same glutinous rice — cooked then pounded), Korean chapssal (same glutinous rice for tteok — same soaking requirement), Chinese nuomi (glutinous rice for zongzi — same soak and steam p