Mainland Southeast Asia · Volume 40, One Bank to the Other
Khao niaw
Both banks of the Mekong
Illustration
- Time
- Hands on 30 minutes · Waiting 8 hours
- Researched
- Researched from 127 sources in the brief
Steamed glutinous rice, eaten from a personal covered basket by hand, rolled and pinched into a small ball rather than touched with a spoon. Laos is repeatedly said to have the highest per-capita sticky rice consumption in the world, and while the precise figure varies by source, the qualitative claim is not in doubt on either bank.
As tradition built it
Serves 4 to 6. Soak overnight, then 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 500 g glutinous rice, labelled "sticky" or "sweet" rice
- as needed water, for soaking and steaming
Method
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, about three changes.
- Soak at room temperature a minimum of 12 hours, water covering the rice by at least 5cm, then drain completely.
- Set a conical bamboo steaming basket into its matching pot, water filled to at least 12cm below the basket. Bring to the boil.
- Steam 15 minutes, then flip the mass of rice over inside the basket, and steam a further 15 minutes, until the grains turn translucent.
- Turn out onto a flat surface and toss briefly to release excess heat, then pack into a lidded basket to keep warm for serving. The rice should be soft and bouncy but not sticking to the hands, the grains holding together rather than breaking down to mush.
What a modern chef changes
The starch itself put to a second use
Rung 5
Method
- Set aside a small portion of the soaked, uncooked rice before steaming, to be blended into the thickening paste for or lam elsewhere in this chapter, so nothing in the pantry does only one job.
- Steam in a stack of small individual baskets rather than one large one, for more even heat penetration and a cleaner portion for each diner, a genuinely useful transfer from professional kitchen practice rather than a change to the dish itself.
- Serve slightly warm rather than hot, resting briefly after steaming; the texture the dish depends on, soft but distinct grains, firms as it stands and is easier to judge a few minutes off the heat.