Best 3 Steamed Sticky Rice Kao Niaow Recipes
Are you craving a delightful and aromatic dish that's easy to make? Look no further than Steamed Sticky Rice, also known as Khao Niaow. Originating from Southeast Asia, this dish is a staple in many Asian cuisines. It's renowned for its soft, chewy texture and slightly sweet flavor, accompanied by a fragrant aroma that fills the air. This versatile dish can be served as a main course or side dish, and pairs perfectly with a variety of curries, stews, and grilled meats. With this detailed recipe, you'll learn how to prepare Steamed Sticky Rice using either a rice cooker or a traditional steamer. Additionally, we'll provide variations for making glutinous rice in a bamboo steamer, lotus leaf, or banana leaf for an authentic experience. Whether you're a seasoned cook or a beginner, this guide will help you create the perfect Steamed Sticky Rice that's sure to become a favorite in your kitchen.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
KHAO NIAW (STICKY RICE)
Often the last thing people in the North and Northeast of Thailand do before bed is put raw grains of sticky rice in a pot, cover them with water, and leave them to soak. This is sticky rice country, and a day without sticky rice is almost unthinkable. Also called glutinous rice, it has a different starch composition than varieties like jasmine. I'm not qualified to explain the world of amylopectin and amylose starches, so suffice it to say that the glossy cooked grains of sticky rice are particularly chewy and stick to one another in clumps, yet still remain distinct. It's a magical thing. Served in baskets, either one per person or as a mountainous mound to be passed around, the grains of sticky rice form moldable masses. Practiced diners snatch off a gumball-size piece, reflexively fashion it into a sort of spoon shape, and use it to grab a taste of whatever else is on the table. In these baskets or in bamboo tubes, workers carry this rice with them into the fields and forests, a portable, edible eating implement. While you could argue that so-called "steamed jasmine rice" isn't steamed at all but rather boiled, sticky rice is actually steamed. In the Northeast, it typically goes into a bamboo basket; in the North, it's traditionally prepared in a clay pot with a perforated bottom, though today the pot is often aluminum. The basket or pot is set over a pot-bellied vessel filled with boiling water and the steam cooks the grains, already swollen from soaking, in just 15 minutes or so. The process is easy enough for uninitiated cooks. It just takes a little practice to get right.
Provided by Andy Ricker
Yield Serves 6 to 8, or 4 enthusiastic rice eaters; the recipe is easily doubled
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Put the sticky rice in a large bowl and add enough tepid tap water to cover by an inch or two. Let it soak for at least 4 hours or up to 10 hours (as long as it's not very hot in your kitchen; if you're in a hurry, you can get away with soaking it in hot tap water for as little as 2 hours).
- Pour off the soaking water. Put the rice in a fine-mesh strainer set inside a large bowl. Fill the bowl with enough cool tap water to cover the rice by an inch or two. Use your hand to gently stir the rice, then lift the strainer from the bowl. The water in the bowl will be cloudy from the rice starch. Empty the water, set the strainer in the bowl again, and repeat the process until the water is, more or less, clear. You'll probably have to change the water two or three times. Drain the rice.
- Pour enough water into the sticky rice steamer pot to reach a depth of about 2 inches. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Either add the rice to the mesh bag and put the bag in the basket or line the woven steamer basket with two layers of damp cheesecloth and dump the rice onto the cheesecloth. Fold the bag or cheesecloth so it covers the rice, pat the bundle so the rice is in a more or less even layer, and cover with a pot lid or clean, damp kitchen cloth, tucking it around the bundle.
- Decrease the heat slightly to maintain a steady but not furious boil and set the basket into the pot. Cook until the grains are fully tender but still chewy (almost springy) and definitely not mushy, about 15 minutes. (Larger batches of sticky rice take about 20 minutes, and the rice bundle should be flipped over once halfway through the steaming process.)
- Transfer the rice to a small cooler or large bowl covered with a plate. Wait about 15 minutes before digging in. The sticky rice will stay warm for an hour or so.
- You can successfully reheat leftover sticky rice; cover and microwave on low, then eat it right away.
STEAMED STICKY RICE (KAO NIAOW)
Sticky rice is the main event at the northern Thai table. Small bites of each dish are put on the diner's plate, then a walnut-size amount of rice is formed into a ball with your fingers and used to pick up a chunk of meat or vegetable.
Categories Rice Side Steam Quick & Easy Gourmet Sugar Conscious Low Sugar Kidney Friendly Vegan Vegetarian Pescatarian Dairy Free Wheat/Gluten-Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free No Sugar Added Kosher
Yield Makes 8 servings (as part of larger meal)
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Cover rice with 2 to 3 inches cold water in a large bowl and soak at room temperature at least 3 hours.
- Drain rice and put in a steamer basket (see cooks' note, below) lined with cheesecloth. Steam rice, covered with lid, over boiling water until shiny and tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
THAI STICKY RICE (KHAO NIAO) RECIPE
Give glutinous rice the spa treatment-soak and then steam-for simple Thai-style sticky rice.
Provided by Sasha Marx
Categories Sides
Time 2h40m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 1
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 136 kcal, Carbohydrate 28 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Fiber 0 g, Protein 2 g, SaturatedFat 0 g, Sodium 166 mg, Sugar 4 g, Fat 1 g, ServingSize Serves 6 to 8, UnsaturatedFat 0 g
Tips:
- For the best results, use high-quality glutinous rice. This type of rice is especially sticky, which is what gives kao niaow its characteristic texture.
- Soak the rice for at least 4 hours, or overnight. This will help to soften the rice and make it easier to cook.
- Use a steamer basket that is large enough to hold the rice without crowding it. This will allow the steam to circulate evenly and cook the rice evenly.
- Do not stir the rice while it is cooking. Stirring can break up the grains of rice and make the kao niaow less sticky.
- Once the rice is cooked, let it rest for a few minutes before serving. This will allow the rice to absorb any excess moisture and become even more sticky.
Conclusion:
Kao niaow is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed in many different ways. It is a popular ingredient in many Southeast Asian dishes, and it can also be served on its own as a side dish or snack. If you are looking for a new and exciting way to enjoy rice, be sure to try kao niaow.
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