The sticky-rice basket of Isan (kratip khao niao)

The kratip khao niao, the lidded basket in which sticky rice is carried to the table and kept, belongs to the cooking of north-eastern Thailand, where, as in Laos and the north of the country, glutinous rice is the staple grain. Alford and Duguid in Hot Sour Salty Sweet describe medium- to long-grain sticky rice as the everyday rice of these regions, and the basket is the vessel that follows from the way the grain is cooked and eaten.

Sticky rice is a distinct variety of rice and not the same grain cooked differently from jasmine. Its starch is almost entirely amylopectin with very little amylose, and this gives a cooked grain that clings together without collapsing into paste. The opaque white grain is first soaked in water, then cooked by steam rising from a pot of boiling water beneath it, and never by immersion in that water. The traditional equipment is a tall conical woven basket set in a light pot. Steam passes up through the grain and cooks it evenly. Alford and Duguid judge this pairing the finest arrangement for the work, and note that it is cheap and made for exactly this task. A bamboo steamer, a steamer insert, or a large sieve lined with cheesecloth or muslin can be set over a pot of water as a substitute. Whatever is used, the lid must seal closely against the rim, so that the whole force of the steam is driven through the grain and none is lost at the edge. Once cooked, the rice is turned out into the smaller lidded kratip and carried to the table. The woven walls keep the rice warm while allowing it to breathe, so the grain stays supple through the meal and does not turn damp and clotted. The basket thus serves as both store and serving vessel, and it is placed within reach of every diner. The rice is eaten with the hand. A diner pinches off a small portion, presses it into a firm morsel between the fingers, and uses it to carry up grilled meats, salads, dips and the salty, sharp relishes of the north-east. This reverses the practice of central Thailand, where plain rice lies on a plate and is eaten with fork and spoon. In Isan the rice is the utensil as well as the foundation of the meal. The same grain has other uses. Black sticky rice is the unmilled form of one variety; it needs a longer cooking time, clings less than the white, and is used mainly in sweet dishes. Glutinous rice flour, sold as sweet rice flour, is used in the doughs of certain sweets and cannot stand in for ordinary rice flour. For all of this cooking the rice should be grown in Thailand or Laos, and the short-grain sweet rices of China or America are to be avoided.

Steamed sticky rice has a mild, faintly sweet taste and a soft, cohesive chew that holds together in the fingers. It is meant to meet the salt, sourness and heat of the dishes around it, taking up their sauces and relishes without competing with them.