Mango Sticky Rice – Khao Niao Mamuang

Name: Mango Sticky Rice – Khao Niao Mamuang
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1 cup Glutinous rice sweet rice, soaked 4+ hours; 200 ml Coconut milk full-fat; 3 tbsp Sugar palm or white; 1/4 tsp Salt; 2 Ripe mangoes sweet, firm but yielding; 100 ml Coconut cream thick, for topping; 1 tbsp Sesame seeds toasted, optional; 2 tbsp Mung beans split, toasted and crushed, optional

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 25 min
Serves: 4
Heat: mild

Mango Sticky Rice — Khao Niao Mamuang — is Thailand's most beloved dessert, a celebration of the sweet, juicy mangoes that arrive with the hot season. It's a dish of beautiful simplicity: glutinous rice steamed until tender, then bathed in sweetened coconut cream, served alongside ripe mango slices.

The magic is in the contrast — the chewy, slightly salty rice against the lush, sweet mango, all tied together with a pour of rich coconut cream. It's a dessert that tastes of summer, of street markets, of the kind of joy that only comes from eating something perfectly ripe.

Ingredients

1 cup Glutinous rice (sweet rice, soaked 4+ hours)
200 ml Coconut milk (full-fat)
3 tbsp Sugar (palm or white)
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Ripe mangoes (sweet, firm but yielding)
100 ml Coconut cream (thick, for topping)
1 tbsp Sesame seeds (toasted, optional)
2 tbsp Mung beans (split, toasted and crushed, optional)

Directions

Soak the glutinous rice in water for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Drain thoroughly.
Steam the rice in a bamboo steamer or heatproof bowl set over boiling water, covered, for 20-25 minutes until tender and translucent. Do not stir.
While the rice steams, combine 200ml coconut milk with the sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil.
As soon as the rice is done, transfer it to a bowl and pour the sweetened coconut milk over it. Stir gently to coat, then let it sit for 15 minutes so the rice absorbs the liquid.
In a separate pan, gently heat the thick coconut cream with a pinch of salt until it thickens slightly. Set aside for topping.
Peel the mangoes and slice the flesh into thin strips, cutting as close to the pit as possible.
To serve, mold the sticky rice into a small cup or bowl, then invert onto a plate. Arrange the mango slices alongside. Pour the thick coconut cream over the rice, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds or crushed mung beans.

Notes

The rice must be glutinous (sweet) rice, not regular jasmine rice — it's the starch content that gives it that signature chewy, sticky texture. And let the mangoes be the star: choose fruits that are fragrant and yield slightly to pressure. A ripe Nam Dok Mai mango will make this dish unforgettable.