Description
Mango Sticky Rice is a classic Thai dessert featuring sweet, creamy coconut-infused sticky rice paired with ripe, juicy mango slices. This recipe uses a gentle steaming method to cook the sticky rice perfectly and a luscious coconut sauce that enhances the dish’s natural sweetness, finished with a garnish of toasted sesame seeds for a subtle nutty flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Sticky Rice
- 1 cup uncooked sticky rice
Coconut Sauce
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk (13.5 oz / 400 g)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (Optional)
Fruit and Garnish
- 3 ripe mangoes, peeled and sliced
- Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (Optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the sticky rice: Rinse the sticky rice under tap water gently stirring with your hand to remove excess starch. Repeat once. Then cover the rice with cold water and soak for at least 1 hour or up to overnight in the fridge. After soaking, rinse and drain thoroughly.
- Steam the rice: Place the rinsed rice in a heatproof bowl. Fill a steamer pot with about 2 inches of water without submerging the rice bowl. Put the bowl on the steaming rack and cover. Heat over medium-high until steam appears, then reduce to medium. Steam the rice for 20 to 25 minutes until tender and fully cooked with no hard bits. Remove from heat and keep covered.
- Make the coconut sauce: While the rice steams, combine the coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Warm over medium to medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot but not boiling.
- Thicken the sauce (optional): If the coconut milk is thin, dissolve 2 teaspoons cornstarch in 4 tablespoons of water. Stir half of this slurry into the hot coconut sauce immediately to thicken. Adjust consistency by adding more cornstarch slurry or water as needed; the sauce should lightly coat the back of a spoon.
- Mix sauce into rice: Carefully remove the steamed sticky rice bowl from the steamer. Pour 1 cup of the coconut sauce over the rice and stir gently to incorporate and allow the rice to absorb the sauce.
- Cool to serving temperature: Let the rice and sauce mixture cool to room temperature or slightly warm before serving to enhance flavors and texture.
- Serve: Spoon about 1/3 cup of the coconut-infused sticky rice onto individual plates or bowls. Arrange sliced mango alongside or on top. Drizzle with additional coconut sauce and garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
- Soaking the sticky rice is essential for even, tender cooking.
- Do not boil the coconut sauce to prevent curdling.
- Cornstarch is optional and helps thicken the sauce if your coconut milk is runny.
- Letting the rice and sauce cool to room temperature improves texture and flavor balance.
- Toasted sesame seeds add a subtle nutty crunch but can be omitted if unavailable.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Steaming
- Cuisine: Thai
Keywords: mango sticky rice, Thai dessert, coconut sticky rice, steamed sticky rice, mango dessert, coconut milk dessert
