This sweet, delicious Thai dessert is a great novelty for anyone seeking something light and refreshing. It can be made with black or white glutinous rice, and has plenty of potential variations for future experimentation!

SERVES: 6
PREPARATION TIME: 10 MINS
COOKING TIME: 20 MINS

INGREDIENTS

• 400ml coconut milk
• ½ cup chopped palm sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt, plus extra to serve
• 2 pandan leaves, tied in a knot
• 2 cups cooked glutinous rice (about
• 400g)
• 2 mangoes, peeled and sliced
• 2 tsp toasted black sesame seeds, to serve

Thick coconut sauce

• 200ml coconut milk
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp cold
• water

METHOD

1. 1 Mix the coconut milk, palm sugar, sugar, salt and
2. pandan leaves together in a medium saucepan and bring to
3. a simmer. Add the cooked glutinous rice, stir occasionally
4. for about 10 minutes until the rice is tender and the
5. consistency of loose porridge, then turn off the heat, cover
6. the pot and allow it to stand for 10 minutes.
7. 2 For the coconut sauce, bring the coconut milk and sugar
8. to a simmer in a small saucepan, then stir in the cornflour
9. mixture. Remove from the heat and allow to cool and
10. thicken.
11. 3 Serve the sticky rice topped with mango, scattered with
12. the sesame seeds, a little extra salt and the coconut sauce.

Adam’s notes:

For a crunchy texture, this sweet is traditionally scattered with mung bean seeds, which are available from Asian grocers, but I find black sesame seeds look and taste a bit nicer.

Palm sugar and ordinary white sugar are often used together in many Southeast Asian desserts. The palm sugar provides a rich flavour but it is not as sweet as white sugar.

This recipe is from Adam Liaw’s Asian Cookery School, available now from Hachette Australia.