Sticky Rice, Thai-Style

Soak the sticky rice with 4-5 cups room temperature water for at least 6 hours to overnight (enough to cover rice by 2″). Soaking longer than 7-8 hours yields mushy rice. Once done soaking, drain water and set aside.

Bring your steamer pot of water to a rolling boil, then turn heat down to medium-high.

If using a Thai-style sticky rice steamer: Lightly spray the inside of the bamboo cone with spray oil or grease very lightly with a scant teaspoon of oil. This is a trick my friend taught me—the rice doesn’t stick to the bamboo and makes for easy removal once the rice is done. Ladle in the soaked, drained rice and make it level in the basket, then cover tightly and steam over medium-high high for 25 minutes.

If using a regular steamer basket: Line the steamer basket with a triple layer of cheesecloth or a piece of fresh or thawed banana leaf and then ladle the soaked, drained rice on top. The rice layer shouldn’t be any thicker than 2″ on top of the cheesecloth or leaf. Cover tightly and steam for 25 minutes.

Halfway through steaming, remove cover and carefully turn the rice 2-3 times to make sure it all steams evenly—the bottom cooks faster than the top. You’ll know the rice is cooked when it’s “squeezable” and translucent (no longer a hard white color) and sticks together in one big lump. Once done, turn the rice lump out onto a large piece of cling wrap or slightly greased plate and cut with a greased knife into 4 chunks. You can then wrap each chunk in cling-wrap or keep inside individual small ziplock bags to keep warm and moist. Traditionally, you eat the rice by pulling off bite-size pieces from your individual “chunk,” compress or roll it slightly between your fingers, and then dip it into sauce or pop it into your mouth. Yummy!

Note: “Sweet” or “glutinous” rice can be found in Thai mini-groceries or at most Asian grocers or supermarkets. It’s called sticky rice once it’s cooked, like if you order it at a restaurant, but it’s called sweet or glutinous rice if you’re looking for it (uncooked) at the store. It is NOT the same as any other kind of rice (jasmine, basmati, sushi/Japanese)! I love eating it with Thai green papaya salad and Thai beef jerky. Enjoy!