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Mango Sticky rice on a banana leaf with a wooden spoon on the side and sprinkled with black sesame seeds.
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4.91 from 11 votes

Easy Mango Sticky rice

Easy Mango Sticky Rice is a quick version of the traditionalThailand summer dessert that can be made in under 20 minutes flat with our special no soak sticky rice technique. This recipe is vegan and dairy-free with low sugar, bursting with ripe seasonal mangoes and a delicious ginger coconut sauce.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: Thai
Servings: 4
Calories: 341kcal
Author: HWC Magazine

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Sticky Rice uncooked also known as glutinous rice or sweet rice - short grained white (220 grams)
  • 13.6 oz coconut milk full fat (1 cup for the sticky rice, reserve ¾ cup for the coconut sauce) – shake up the can really well BEFORE opening.
  • 1 cup water
  • 1.5 inch ginger fresh peeled knob (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 - 5 tablespoon sugar or sugar alternative of choice
  • 2 mangoes fresh or other tropical fruits of choice
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional or can used dried mung beans

Instructions

  • Place your uncooked 1 cup of sticky rice into a colander and rinse with water. At the same time vigorously rub the rice between your hands and fingers to create friction. Massage your rice between your hands really well for at least 5 minutes and the water runs completely clear. Be sure to intensely massage and wash your rice between your fingers and hands much like you do when you are preparing a kale salad. MASSAGE your Sticky rice underwater and between your hands for at least 5 minutes or longer. Your water should run completely clean by this point. Now, you really need to get in there and massage it really good with both hands and make friction. Don’t be dainty with your rice. This friction between your hands helps soften that outer shell and makes your rice ready to cook.  (This step is super important and cannot be skipped as this helps remove the tough outer shell of the sticky rice that needs to be softened to ensure that the rice will be cooked all the way through. This step allows you to skip the old fashion soaking method.)
    Strain water from rice and set aside. 
    Demonstration on how to wash sticky rice.
  • In a medium pot place your washed sticky rice. Shake up the can of coconut milk really good. Then measure out 1 cup and add to the washed sticky rice (reserve the other ¾ cup coconut milk for the sweet coconut sauce and set aside). Next, add 1 cup of water, 1.5-inch fresh peeled ginger and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir well and put the lid on. (Be sure to use a lid with no vent holes as the goal is to steam the rice)
    Adding coconut milk to the washed sticky rice.
  • Place your sticky rice on a simmer (about gas 3-4 or low on your stovetop) for about 12 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. It is really important that your stove is on this very low medium simmer heat. If it is too high, your rice will stick and burn. (if your lid has a hole in it, your rice will not cook well as all the moisture will evaporate from the pot before it is done cooking) At about the 6-minute mark – half way mark, take lid off very briefly and stir well just to make sure it is not sticking. Place the lid back on to continue the steaming process for another 6 minutes. The rice should now be sticky and tender to the bite. If not, continue to cook for 1-2 more minutes over low heat and recheck. Remove from heat and remove the ginger wedge from the cooked sticky rice, put the lid back on the pot and set aside.
    Spoonful of cooked sticky rice over the pot.
  • Next add 3- 4 tablespoons of sugar or sugar alternative into your cooked sticky rice and stir while it is still hot. Now your sticky rice should look glossy. (We only added 3 tablespoons of sugar as we like our desserts only delicately sweet. However, if you like your desserts moreAmerican Style sweet, then be sure to add 4 tablespoons of sugar)
    Adding sugar to the cooked sticky rice.
  • While your sticky rice is cooking, prepare the coconut sauce. In a small saucepan add the ¾ cup coconut milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar or sugar alternative. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes or until the coconut milk in bubbly and reduces in half. The sauce becomes a little thicker at this point. Remove from heat and set aside.
    Coconut Sauce bubbling and reducing on the stove.
  • Next, remove the skin from the mango. Hold the mango and make vertical slices with your knife into the flesh of the mango.Then, take your knife and carve away the slices from the area of the pit. You can also cut your mango into chunks. Feel free to substitute any other tropical fruit of choice like fresh jack fruit, durian, pineapples, etc
    Demonstration on how to peel and slice a mango.
  • To serve your delicious Easy Mango Sticky Rice, we take a ½ cup measuring cup and place the sticky rice inside to form into a round circle.We gently pat the measuring cup upside down to place the rounded sticky rice on the plate. Next, add your sliced mangoes to the plate. Drizzle the sweetened coconut sauce on top of your cooked sticky rice and garnish with black sesame seeds. Enjoy!
    Coconut cream getting poured over sticky rice.

Notes

Easy Mango Sticky Rice is best served either at room temperature or warm. Well that is at least our preference. However, this dessert can also be served chilled. If desired, you can prepare the dessert in advance of your gathering and place the sticky rice and mango on plate and cover with plastic wrap. Hold off on garnishing with your prepared sweet coconut sauce and toasted sesame seeds until just before serving.
Mango sticky rice can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
The 3 most important concepts are…
  1. Use a quality coconut milk. We always have good success with Amoy and Thai Kitchen brands. If you use lower budget brands, they have all kinds of weird fillers instead of coconut and the results are less optimal. For example, your sticky rice might not be glossy and shiny have that delicious tender and sticky mouth feel that makes sticky rice completely addictive.
  2. Wash your rice really good and use lots of friction between your hands to help soften that tough outer shell of the sticky rice so that it cooks evenly.
  3. Make sure to use sticky rice (otherwise sometimes called glutinous rice or sweet rice). We used short grain white sticky rice. We have not tested this recipe with purple or black sticky rice. These options may need a longer cook time and more liquid.
Feel free to use other tropical fruits of choice such as fresh jack fruit, durian, pineapple, papaya’s etc. if you do not have mangoes. If choosing a mango, make sure they are perfectly ripe. A ripe mango will give a little when you squeeze them and with smell sweet on the ends. Color is not always a good indicator of ripeness as there are many different breeds of mangoes. Some are bright yellow; some are red and yellow, and some will have green even when they are ripe. Your mango should not be shriveled up or show any signs of mold on the ends.
Sugar or sugar alternatives can be used in this dessert. In Thailand, they would traditionally sweeten mango sticky rice with palm sugar. However, for this recipe to keep it simple for you and used just granulated sugar. Feel free to sweeten instead with stevia or other sweeter alternatives of choice.
We can say that the fresh ginger is optional but once you try it, you are going to love it. It gives this recipe that really delicious aroma and flavor that we crave. Sometimes, if we have access to an Asian market with fresh pandan leaves, we will add a few whilst cooking the sticky rice. Sublime!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 1120IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg