Mango sticky rice
ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง
Ripe mango, steamed sticky rice, salted coconut cream — a dessert that is only good when the fruit is.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 4 hr
- Total
- 4 hr 50 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Khao niao mamuang is soaked sticky rice steamed, dressed with sweet-salty coconut milk, and eaten with a mango that actually smells like mango. The coconut sauce on top should be thick. If the mango is hard or sour, wait a day or make something else. Rinse the rice until the water is less milky or it sets into a glue brick. Soak it; a quick boil is a different starch. Steam in a basket or a colander over water — sitting in a puddle makes it sodden. Salt the coconut dressing or it tastes like dessert topping from a can. Warm the sauce so it soaks; cold fat sits on top in white lumps. Slice the mango close to serving. If your coconut cream is thin, simmer it briefly to thicken rather than drowning the rice in a pool.
Ingredients
- Sticky rice250 g
- Coconut milk350 ml
- Sugar60 g
- Salt2½ ml
- Sesame seed (optional)4.9 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Soak rice 4 hours or overnight. Steam 20–25 minutes until tender and glossy.
25 minStep 2
Warm coconut with sugar and salt. Pour most of it over the hot rice, fold, rest 15 minutes so it drinks.
15 minStep 3
Slice mango. Plate rice, fruit, remaining thick coconut, sesame or mung bean if you have it.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Sticky rice → Sushi rice, steamed sticky
Wrong grain. An emergency bowl.
Tips
- Nam dok mai or ok-rong mangoes are the Thai ones. A ripe Ataulfo is the grocery stand-in.
- The rice should be warm or room-temp, not fridge-hard.
History & culture
Hot-season dessert. Street stalls and restaurants. It is not a year-round fruit salad. This is weather food. When the fruit is perfume and the air is heavy, the plate makes sense. Out of season it is an expensive disappointment with a fluorescent mango from far away. Street stalls still sell it as a pair: rice in a small bag or box, fruit beside, sauce in a bag of its own. Homes that make it for guests are making a season visible. That is hospitality, not an all-year menu obligation.
Sticky rice and coconut are mainland staples. Pairing them with mango is the plate that travelled. Glutinous rice and coconut milk were already breakfast and snack logic on the mainland. Putting ripe mango beside that rice is the combination restaurants could export because it photographs and needs no chilli explanation. Tinned coconut and imported fruit stretched the season in colder countries. That stretch is commercial history. The older constraint — wait until the fruit is actually ripe — is still the better cooking advice.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Mango sticky rice take?
4 hr 50 min all in — 20 min prep, 30 min cook, 4 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Sesame. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Vegan.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at ½ tsp.
How much sugar?
60 g of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Sticky rice → Sushi rice, steamed sticky. Wrong grain. An emergency bowl.
Any tips from this recipe?
Nam dok mai or ok-rong mangoes are the Thai ones. A ripe Ataulfo is the grocery stand-in. The rice should be warm or room-temp, not fridge-hard.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Soak rice 4 hours or overnight. Steam 20–25 minutes until tender and glossy.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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