Sweet Sticky Rice Desserts
The genre of sweet sticky rice desserts is known as khao niew moon
Mango sticky rice is ubiquitous in Thai restaurants and frankly, is the only Thai dessert that’s made it onto the global stage. However, there are other variations that are just as delicious but not well known.
The genre of sweet sticky rice desserts are known as khao niew moon. Long grain sticky rice is soaked overnight and then steamed in a basket rice steamer called a hood (hood in thai). When the rice is done it can be served as is with savory dishes. To make khao niew moon, sweetened coconut milk is added to freshly steamed sticky rice. This allows for maximum absorption of the coconut flavor into the rice.
The sweet sticky rice is then paired with a variety of toppings both sweet and savory.
Khao Niew Sangkaya
A popular dish in the markets of Chiang Mai is khao niew sangkaya or sweet sticky rice with pandan custard. This is one of my favorite pairings. The custard base is made out of eggs, coconut milk, pandan, and sugar. The base is steamed until it sets and is served with sweet sticky rice.
Khao Niew Dum Mapaw
Sweet sticky rice can also be made with unprocessed rice like black sticky rice. Here, black sticky rice is topped with a coconut compote. Shredded coconut is cooked slowly in palm sugar to create a jammy and thick mixture.
Khao Niew Nah Goong
Sweet and savory pairings of sweet rice are also common. In addition to the sweetened base, this khao niew moon has turmeric added to it for a savory depth. It’s topped with candied dried shrimp and fresh cilantro. Sounds a bit weird but it's very good.
Khao Niew Nah Plah
My all-time favorite khao niew moon is the sweet and savory pairing of sweet rice topped with dried fried flakes, crispy shallots, and turbinado sugar. The topping here is made of white fish that has been cooked, flaked, fried until dehydrated and crispy. It’s then mixed with crispy shallots and turbinado sugar then generously sprinkled on top of sweet rice. YUM
More Khao Niew Nah Plah made with non-traditional bonito flakes instead of dried fish.
