Sometimes I go to the supermarket at normal hours like normal people, usually with a list. Other times, I’m sitting in my pajamas at 9pm on a Sunday and suddenly run out the door to Publix (they close at 10 on Sundays – running is sometimes necessary). This is what happens when I get a wild hair up my ass, usually at incredibly inconvenient times. This time, that wild hair was for my old friend and sometimes dastardly foe – sticky rice with mango. Whenever I order this dish at Thai restaurants, I inevitably eat far too much and moan my way back to the car (or, if I’m unfortunate enough to have walked, all the way home whilst teetering on the edge of being ill). My mom came into town for graduation last weekend and stayed until yesterday. That sweet and magnificent woman decided to leave me with some parting goodies, one being some beautiful mangoes that she picked up at the store. I spent a good part of my childhood in Key West, so mangoes are one of my dream foods. My grandparents’ neighbors had a mango tree in their yard that would deposit lovely fruits just over the fence each year. Seriously, I can’t get enough of mango. This craving was, therefore, perfect.
Picture, if you will, my mad dash to the store. As I hustle across town, scouring my brain trying to plot which store has the ideal combination of being open and being likely to have what I’m looking for, I settle on the Publix on Bass Rd. By far the best Publix in town as far as selection and quality, though kind of a schlep. Running into the store with 30 minutes to spare, I narrowly avoid a confused pre-pubescent bagger on my way to the rice and pasta aisle. Suddenly, fear strikes. I have no idea what kind of rice to buy!! Surely my only hope for finding true Thai sweet/sticky rice would have been at Fresh Market, which closed hours ago. (Maybe our much desired and eagerly anticipated independent grocery store, Ocmulgee Traders, will carry such a worthy item when they open at last? Hmmmm.) Then my nightmare greets me…
God help me.
SO MUCH RICE, SO LITTLE TIME! After frantically taking down each type of rice from the shelf and examining it, I settled on sushi rice. Not the same, clearly, but equally as glutinous.
I hustled home and promptly plopped down in front of The Internet to find a suitable recipe. Who knew that would be the most challenging part of this whole adventure. There are what seem to be millions of different people out there telling me how to make coconut sticky rice in totally different ways. I very quickly became overwhelmed and took an Angry Orchard Apple Ginger Cider break. Finally, I settled on a combination of various techniques I came across, picking from the most authentic-sounding of the bunch (cornstarch? 10+ ingredients? I don’t think so, Internet).
Basically, what I’ve garnered is that you need an equal portion of coconut milk to the amount of rice you’re making. This quantity uses only a cup of rice, which is good enough for dessert for two or dessert for me.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Thai sweet/sticky rice (if you can find it; if not, my sushi rice came out pretty well)
- 1 cup coconut milk (not coconut water, not coconut cream)
- 3 tbsp. sugar (palm if you have it, white if you don’t)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 or 2 tasty mangoes, depending on your greediness, sliced or cubed
If you have the time, steam your rice the way normal people do. But if you’re like me and it’s already 10pm and you STILL haven’t gotten that dessert in your belly, use the cheaters’ method. That method is the microwave. It feels wrong, but it works surprisingly well. Soak the rice in enough warm water to cover plus a little in a microwavable bowl for 10 minutes. Cover the bowl and pop it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Remove, stir, and zap again for another 3. Do this again until it’s cooked through but not mushy (mine only needed 6 total, but it depends on your microwave). And do make sure your bowl is big enough, or this will happen…
Oh, the humanity!!
I told you it wouldn’t always be pretty in here! Now, in a small pot heat up the coconut milk but DO NOT let it boil. It will be horrible if you do, trust me. While it’s simmering away, throw in the sugar and salt, and stir stir stir! Take almost all of that sweet hot elixir and pour it over your freshly microwaved rice. Let that rice soak up the goodness for 5-10 minutes. I promise, it will absorb it all. Save a bit in the pot for later (and let it cool a little).
Once the rice has soaked up that delightful goodness, pack it into a cup for show or just mound it on a plate. Garnish liberally with your glorious sliced mango and drizzle that reserved and now slightly thickened coconut milk over the top. Eat as much as you can without making yourself sick.
Marry me.
Cooking Up Happy 