Thai Sticky Rice (Khao Niao)
ข้าวเหนียว khao niaoSay it: KOW nee-ow
Khao niao is the everyday sticky rice of northeastern Thailand, where Isan families eat it with almost every meal. The grains are soaked, then steamed in a woven bamboo basket so they cling together in a soft, chewy mass instead of scattering. It has a mild, faintly sweet flavour that soaks up the fire of som tam and the smoke of grilled chicken. Eating it by hand, rolled into small balls, is part of the pleasure.
Thai Sticky Rice (Khao Niao)
ข้าวเหนียว, khao niao
Pronounced KOW nee-ow
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: none of the major allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Method
Put the glutinous rice in a large bowl, cover with cold water and swish with your hand until the water turns milky. Drain and repeat two or three times, until the water is only slightly cloudy.
Cover the rice with fresh cold water by at least 2 inches (5 cm) and leave to soak at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight, until a grain snaps easily between your fingernails.
Drain the rice through a fine colander and leave it to drip for 10 minutes, shaking once, so the grains are damp but no water pools.
Soak the bamboo steamer basket (huat) in water for 10 minutes, then fill the pot it sits on with about 3 cups (720 ml) of water. The water must stay below the basket and never touch the rice.
Spread the drained rice loosely in the basket, making a shallow well in the centre so steam can rise evenly through the mound.
Bring the water to a rolling boil, set the basket on top and cover with a lid or banana leaf. Steam over high heat for 15 minutes, until the top grains look glassy at the edges.
Lift the lid, turn the whole mass of rice over with a wooden paddle or spoon — the bottom grains should be tender and the top ones still firm — then cover and steam another 10 to 12 minutes, until every grain is translucent, glossy and chewy.
Tip the rice onto a clean board or into a covered basket, let it rest 5 minutes to firm up, then serve warm, pulling off small balls with your fingers.
Regional variant: Khao Lam (ข้าวหลาม) — sticky rice grilled in bamboo
Glutinous rice is soaked, then mixed with thick coconut milk, sugar and a pinch of salt, sometimes with black beans, and packed into short bamboo tubes lined with banana leaf. The tubes are sealed and roasted over charcoal or in a hot oven (about 400°F / 200°C) for 40 to 50 minutes, turning often, until the rice is cooked and the bamboo is charred. The rice comes out sweet, coconut-rich and faintly smoky, and is scraped out in soft cylinders.
Cook's notes
- In cool weather, soak the rice in a warm place; in hot weather, put the bowl in the refrigerator so it does not sour.
- Never let the boiling water touch the basket — the rice will turn gluey and stodgy instead of fluffy-chewy.
- Steamed rice dries out fast; keep it in a lidded basket or a bowl covered with a cloth and re-steam for 5 minutes to soften.
Serve with
Som tam, grilled chicken (gai yang) and nam prik dipping sauces — or cold water and raw herbs in Isan style
Make ahead and storage
Cooked sticky rice keeps 2 days in a covered container in the fridge; re-steam 5 minutes or microwave with a splash of water to soften
