Photograph by Bennett Pruitt
How fun would it be to celebrate the New Year twice? The Thais do just that. The first with everyone else on January 1, and another on April 13. This national holiday, Songkran, symbolizes a new beginning for the Thais. It is an important time to give respect to your elders and a time for cleansing and renewal.
Here is St. Louis, the Thais celebrate with loads of food and fun activities at a local temple in Florissant. It is a great place to sample restaurant favorites and some unique street foods. One of the items offered is the sweet sticky rice and mango, a quintessential Thai dessert. A luscious combination of creamy coconut-flavored rice with sweet and buttery mango.
Lucky for us, the best mango variety is in season this time of year. Ataulfo or sometimes-called Champagne variety has an oval, kidney-shape with deep golden skin when ripe and is very sweet and rich in flavor. They will be around through mid-July.
Sticky Rice and Mango
4 cups cooked sticky rice (glutinous rice)
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
½ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
2 ripe mangoes
Combine coconut milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan; bring to boil. Remove ¼ cup and set aside for topping later. Turn down heat to low. Add cooked sticky rice and stir until well mixed. Remove from heat. At this point, the mixture should looks like a thick rice pudding. Set it aside until the milk is all absorbed before serving, about 30 minutes. The sticky rice is served at room temperature.
To peel and cut mango, hold mango horizontally and peel the skin with a paring knife. Cut the mango just above the pit in one piece. Transfer to a cutting board and slice thinly. Flip the mango and repeat the procedure.
To serve, place sliced mango next to sticky rice on dessert plate. Drizzle remaining coconut milk mixture on top. I sprinkle toasted white sesame seeds and garnish with a small sprig of mint.
