Savory Thai Sticky Rice Recipes

HOW TO MAKE THAI STICKY RICE (วิธีทำ ข้าวเหนียว)

Steps:

• The night before you want to cook sticky rice, take your raw sticky rice, place it into a bowl or plastic tub, submerge in water, and allow to soak room temperature overnight. Alternatively, you can soak for at least 4 - 5 hours, but overnight is best.
• Take the sticky rice out of the water (and the grains should be softer and a little swollen), and place into a bamboo steamer, or any type of steamer. Cover the steamer with either a lid, or you can do what I did and cover the basket with a cloth, then a metal lid - just to keep all the steam within the rice.
• Add water to a pot with the steamer over the pot (just make sure the water doesn't touch the sticky rice), and once the water comes to a boil, steam for 15 - 20 minutes (usually 15 minutes for me is perfect) on a medium heat.
• After 15 minutes take off the lid carefully, because it will be very hot, and just grab a taste test of the sticky rice to make sure it's soft and fluffy. If it's still a little crunchy, steam for a few more minutes, but if it's good to go, turn off the heat and either eat immediately, or transfer to some sort of airtight container or basket to hold until you're ready to eat.
• Enjoy Thai sticky rice while it's hot and fresh.

THAI STICKY RICE (KHAO NIAO) RECIPE

Steps:

• Remove from heat, and flip bundle over once more so that the folded over parts of cheesecloth are facing you. Transfer rice to a heatproof bowl and cover it with a plate (you can discard the cheesecloth at this point, or if you used a bamboo steamer and wish to use the steamer basket as a serving vessel, keep the rice in its cheesecloth parcel and unwrap it right before serving). Let rice cool slightly for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve immediately.

SAVORY STICKY RICE BOWLS (OR STIR-FRIED STICKY RICE)

Steps:

• Rinse, soak and steam rice according to directions in the recipe for Basic Sticky Rice. While rice steams, cook bacon and sausage in a wok or skillet over medium heat, to render a little fat. Add diced onion and stir-fry until onion is soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add red chiles and dried shrimp and cook for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, season well with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and sweet wine. Stir and scrape bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add 1/2 cup water and simmer 1 minute.
• Turn off heat and add cooked sticky rice. Sprinkle lightly with salt and mix well with 2 spoons to incorporate. Serve immediately or transfer to several individual heatproof bowls. (Rice may be reheated later in a water bath.) If desired, invert bowls onto plates. Garnish with scallions and cilantro.

SAVORY THAI STICKY RICE

Steps:

• Soak 2 cups sweet (sticky) rice in 3-4 cups water, or enough so water exceeds the rice by at least 1 inch. Soak for at least 40 minutes (if you lose track of time, it's no problem - sticky rice can soak up to 4 hours or longer). Note: Sweet rice has a hard outer shell that needs to soften before it can be cooked.
• While rice is soaking, prepare your steamer. Line a bamboo steamer or colander with 2 layers of banana/bamboo leaf, OR use cheesecloth, or a clean kitchen cloth. To clean and thaw the leaf (if frozen), rinse under hot water. Cut the leaf large enough that it extends over the top. Place steamer over a large pot, and have a tight-fitting lid ready.
• Place bacon in a large frying pan/wok together with 1-2 tablespoons water. Fry over medium-high heat until cooked (chewy, not crisp). Remove from heat, leaving all or half the fat in the frying pan.
• Remove bacon from the pan and cut into small pieces (I use a clean pair of scissors for this, like they do in Asia - much faster and easier than a knife!). Place it back in the frying pan.
• Also add to the frying pan the shallots or onion, mushrooms, garlic, and chili. Return to medium-high heat and stir-fry 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. If your pan becomes dry, add a little water (1-2 Tbsp.).
• Turn heat to low. Add the drained sticky rice, plus the fish sauce and soy sauces. Also add half the green onion. Stir until the color of the rice has consistently darkened . Remove from heat.
• Transfer the rice from the frying pan into your prepared steamer. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water in the pot. Cover with the lid and steam over high heat for 30-35 minutes. (You may have to add more water to your steamer partway through.).
• After 30 minutes, remove from heat. Allow to sit (with lid on) for 5 minutes. The rice should be soft, sticky, and slightly translucent. If there are any hard grains, steam 5 minutes longer. (Dig down into the middle of the rice when testing for "done-ness".).
• Taste-test the rice for salt. Sprinkle over a little more fish sauce if not salty or flavorful enough. If too salty, add a sqeeze of lime juice. Gently stir rice with a fork or chopsticks to mix inches.
• To serve, slide the banana/bamboo leaf directly onto a serving plate. Or, if you want to pretty it up, line a serving bowl or plate with a fresh banana leaf. Mound the rice on top and sprinkle with remaining spring onion (add optional garnishes too if desired). ENJOY!

SAVORY COCONUT RICE

Steps:

• Place rice in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add grated ginger, kosher salt, red chili flakes, and turmeric. Pour in water and coconut milk. Whisk until mixture is well combined (do not stir again).
• Place pan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. When mixture starts to bubble and reaches a low simmer, place bay leaf on the surface, cover tightly, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 18 minutes without taking off the lid. Remove pan from heat and let sit 5 minutes, covered. Fluff rice with a fork.