Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango

I think khao niew ma muang, or sticky rice with mango, must be the most famous of all Thai sweets. And don’t get me wrong, it deserves that fame, especially when the mango is perfectly ripe and in season.

Even without fruit, sweet sticky rice is a first-rate treat, but with a juicy and purely sweet mango it becomes something divine. The sticky rice is steamed first then mixed with salted coconut sauce until the rice absorbs all the sauce and becomes plump and shiny.

When you buy sweet sticky rice in the market, it comes premade with an additional bag of salty sweet coconut sauce. When you’re ready to eat, simply pour the sauce over the rice and cut mango and top with some crunchy and salty fried yellow mung beans (not pictured).

In the market, sticky rice with mango will cost around 30 baht ($1.00) but if you have access to your own kitchen, I suggest buying sweet sticky rice and cutting your own accompanying mango when you’re ready to eat it. For a change, you could try using fresh pineapple or, my favorite, durian! If you want to make khao niew ma muang at home, this looks like a good recipe with clear instructions. Usually tapioca starch is not used, so feel free to leave that out if you prefer.