My Mom’s Mango Sticky Rice Recipe Is So Good, I Never Order It at Restaurants

Summer is mango season, the perfect time to make Thailand’s most famous dessert: khao neeo mamuang or mango sticky rice. The specialty—goey sticky rice served with fragrant slices of fruit and a sweet-salty coconut sauce—is a staple at Thai restaurants in the United States. But I never order it—because my mom’s recipe is so easy and delicious.

How to Make Mom’s Mango Sticky Rice

All you need is six ingredients—glutinous sweet rice, coconut milk, sugar, salt, corn starch, and ripe mangos—and a rice cooker to make mom’s mango sticky rice at home. Glutinous short-grain rice, a type with a higher starch content than regular rice, is a key ingredient in this recipe. Look for brands such as Three Ladies or Three Rings at Asian supermarkets such as H-Mart or in the international section of your grocery store.

Ingredients

For the coconut sticky rice:

• 1 cup white glutinous sweet rice
• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk (such as Aroy-D brand)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2–3 ripe mangos, sliced (the number will depend on the size of the fruit)

For the coconut sauce:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Place the rice in your rice cooker bowl. Add cold water and gently swish the rice with your fingers. Pour out the starchy water; repeat one or two times until the water is almost clear. (You can also do this in a sieve or colander, if you prefer.) 
2. Add 2/3 cup water to the rice, put it in your rice cooker, and steam it following the guidelines that came with your appliance. (I have a Zojirushi Electric Rice Cooker and use the “Sweet Rice” setting.)
3. While your rice is cooking, prepare the coconut milk: Heat 2/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it begins to simmer, take it off the burner.
4. When your rice is finished, open your rice cooker and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes with the lid open to let the steam escape. Then transfer it to a bowl and pour the sweetened coconut milk on top. Let the rice sit for 15 to 20 minutes, covered, to soak up the milk, and gently fold it a couple times to mix things up. (Be careful not to smush the grains, though!)
5. Make the coconut sauce: Combine 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in your sauce pan and bring it to a simmer on medium heat. Make a slurry with your corn starch and water and stir it in. Once the sauce thickens, it’s finished!
6. Serve your sticky rice with your sliced mango and drizzle with the coconut sauce.

How to Choose the Best Mangos

While Okrung and Nam Dok Mai mangos are the most popular variety to eat with sweet sticky rice in Thailand, they’re hard to find in the U.S. Instead, many cooks prefer golden Champagne mangos (AKA honey or Ataulfo mangos). But any sweet mango you can find will work—but it has to be ripe. Here are some tips for picking a good one, according to the National Mango Board.

• Squeeze the mango gently. A ripe mango will give slightly (like a ripe avocado). Choose a firmer mango if you don’t plan to eat it right away.
• Focus on the feel and smell, not the color. The stem of ripe mangos often exude a fruity, fragrant aroma.
• Store them at room temperature. Mangos will ripen on your countertop or you can speed things up by placing them in a paper bag. Once they’re soft, you can transfer them to the refrigerator to slow down the ripening process.

Don’t have a rice cooker? Try this stovetop Thai Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango Recipe instead.