Sticky Rice, Kao Niew

make about 4-5 cups cooked sweet or plain sticky rice

This recipe, as other Thai recipes, is merely an approximation. Start with these proportion, but let your sense be the final judge.

Ingredients:
3 cups sticky rice (You can buy it from your local Chinese or Thai market. Make sure you buy sticky rice or glutinous rice rather than normal long grain Chinese rice or Thai jasmine rice.)

The following ingredients are for sweetened sticky rice only
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup sugar
salt, to taste, or about half teaspoon

1. Soak the rice in water over night, then strain
2. Wrap the rice in cheese cloth and put on top of a steamer.
3. Steam for about 20 minutes--make sure the boiling water doesn't touch the rice. You probably should start checking after about 15 minutes. The rice should be very nearly done, but not completely cooked through--similar to the texture of al dente pasta. (For unsweetened rice, just continue to cook until done.)
4. While the rice is steaming, heat the coconut milk and add the sugar and salt. Be careful not to let the coconut boil too much as it will separate. Taste the mixture. The sweetened coconut milk should be a little sweeter than what you want your finished sticky rice to be. You should also be able to taste, ever so slightly, the salt. Add more salt if needed. Keep this mixture heated, it must be hot when the rice is ready.
5. When the rice is ready, al dente, put the rice in a large bowl, pour the coconut milk over it. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with the sweetest mangoes you could find.

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