Sticky Rice with Mango

2 1/2 C. sticky rice (purchase at an Asian Market. It's not Calrose, it's special Thai sticky rice. I used Calrose once and it was okay, but not the same).
1 can coconut milk (my preference is Choa Koh brand)
3/4 C. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1. Rinse rice thoroughly and soak in lukewarm water for 2 1/2 to 3 hours (or overnight at room tempurature). Then steam the rice in a bamboo steamer basket (also purchased at an Asian market). Be sure to use a lid to cover rice. If you don't have the right sized lid, use aluminum foil. After steaming for 15 minutes, scoop the rice on the bottom of the basket and move to the top for thorough cooking. Steam for 15 more minutes. If it's not soft enough, cook for 5 more minutes and check again.

2. After the rice is cooked, combine coconut milk, sugar, salt and oil in a saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally, to make a syrup. Remove from heat.

3. Combine rice and 3/4 of the coconut syrup in a bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the syrup to soak into the rice.

4. Scoop sweet rice mixture out and smooth evenly over a large dinner plate.

5. Cut into large dices 1 to 1 1/2 mangoes and sprinkle over rice.

6. Scoop 3 or 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream in the center of dish and pour over the remaining syrup. (This is one place that using homemade ice cream really adds an extra, well-worth it flair. I LOVE this simple dish with homemade ice cream!)

7. Get out the spoons and dig in! (You could dish these in individual bowls for each serving, but in the restaurants, everyone just gets a spoon and shares).



This is the steamer basket and pot. I have tried to do this without it, but it really makes the whole process simpler. I have seen a lot of places online that will sell these, but they are expensive. I bought mine at the Asian Market in Provo for only $11.95 for pot and basket. When the basket gets old and used, it's only a $2 replacement.

Now, if you don't have this set up, I have tried this:

Use a metal strainer and a pan that will allow you to rest the strainer on the edge of the pan without touching the water in the bottom of the pan. Line the strainer with a few layers of paper towels or cheesecloth. Fill pan with just enough water to steam. You don't want the rice to boil. This worked fairly well when I used paper towels, but by the time the rice was cooked and I had flipped the rice a couple of times, the towels were tearing and the rice took twice as long to steam.