Mango sticky rice
Khao Niao Mamuang — fragrant coconut sticky rice paired with sweet ripe mango. Three components, one show-stopping dessert. Deceptively simple, almost impossible to mess up if you start with good rice and great fruit.
The story
A street-food staple across Thailand, especially during mango season from April to June. Traditionally made with Nam Dok Mai mangoes — long, slender, and intensely sweet — but Alphonsos work beautifully and bring an extra floral note. The dish is built on contrast: warm rice, cool mango, salty-sweet coconut sauce, crunchy sesame.
Ingredients
- •1 cup glutinous (sticky) rice, soaked at least 4 hours or overnight
- •1 cup coconut milk (full-fat, the good stuff)
- •1/4 cup sugar
- •1/2 tsp salt
- •2 ripe mangoes (Nam Dok Mai or Alphonso), peeled and sliced
- •2 tsp toasted sesame seeds and a few mung beans to garnish
Method
- 1
Drain the soaked rice and steam it (lined steamer basket over simmering water) for 20–25 minutes until tender, sticky, and translucent. Do not boil — texture will turn to porridge.
- 2
While the rice steams, gently warm the coconut milk with sugar and salt over low heat until just dissolved. Do not boil — boiling splits coconut milk and turns it greasy.
- 3
Reserve about 1/4 of the warm coconut sauce for serving. Pour the rest over the hot, just-cooked rice. Stir gently with a wooden spoon, then cover and rest for 15 minutes — the rice drinks the sauce in.
- 4
Mound the rice on plates. Fan the mango slices alongside.
- 5
Drizzle the reserved sauce generously over the rice (not the mango).
- 6
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and toasted mung beans. Serve at room temperature, never chilled.
Variations
- •Black sticky rice version: substitute half the white sticky rice with black glutinous rice for a deeper, nuttier flavour and dramatic colour.
- •Add a scoop of coconut ice cream alongside for an indulgent restaurant-style plate.
How to serve
This is dessert, but a small portion also works as a light breakfast on a hot morning. Pair with jasmine tea.