Although Mango isn’t readily available in Australia during Winter, you could serve this sweet, sticky rice with your favourite poached fruit (for example, pears poached in red wine) for a perfect winter desert.
Serves 2-4.
1 cup sticky rice (available at Asian food stores)
1 3/4 cups water
1-2 ripe mangos, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. brown sugar (for a natural sweetener substitute maple syrup)
1 tin coconut milk or cream
1/4 tsp
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp cornflour, dissolved in 2 Tbsp water.
Soak the rice in 1 cup water for 20 – 60 minutes (longer is better, but if you’re short on time then 20 is fine). The sticky rice can be steamed or made in a pot. To make it in a pot: add 3/4 cup (more) water to the rice, plus 1/4 can coconut milk, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar. Stir this into the rice, lifting any rice grains that have stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then partially cover with a lid (leaving some room for steam to escape). Turn the heat down to low. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed by the rice. Remove the pot from the heat, place the lid on tight, and leave to “steam” cook for 5-10 minutes.
Warm the rest of the can of coconut milk together with 1/4 cup sugar, a pinch of salt and 1 tsp. vanilla essence over medium heat (5 minutes). Add cornflour (dissolved in the water) to the sauce and stir to thicken it slightly. As it thickens, turn down heat to low. When thickened, remove from heat. Do not boil! Adding more sugar if desired. If too sweet for your taste, add a little more coconut milk. Place a potion of rice in a small bowl and top with Mango and sauce. Enjoy!