Sticky rice with mangoes (attempt #2)

     Not having been 100% satisfied with my previous attempt to make my favorite of all Thai desserts (see http://insearchoftheperfectmacaroniandcheese.blogspot.com/2012/07/adventures-in-thai-cooking.html), I decided to make it a second time trying a new recipe.  Perhaps my (relatively) new Thai cookbook, Thai Cuisine Beyond Curry by Chef Chai Siriyarn would do the trick.  I got this cookbook from my favorite Thai restaurant in San Francisco, Marnee Thai (http://www.marneethaisf.com/), that my friend Andrew and I discovered on a whim a few years ago.  Amazing food!  Alas, the first time I went to the restaurant I saw they offered a cookbook written by the Head Chef/Founder, but I didn't buy it.  I immediately regretted the fact, but couldn't find the cookbook anywhere.  So, when Scott, Andrew and I went back to the restaurant this summer, I knew that I would have to buy the book.  It is quite a fun book (it even tells you how to make your own curry pastes) and comes autographed by the author.  If you are ever in San Francisco, I definitely recommend going to Marnee Thai.  Buy the cookbook if you are at all interested in Thai cooking.  And prepare to have fun!  Now, onto the recipe:

Sticky rice with mangoes (kao niaw ma muang) from Thai Cuisine Beyond Curry by Cahi Siriyarn of Marnee Thai Restaurant

Ingredients:

2 cups sticky rice, soaked overnight or at least 4-6 hours
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp. salt
2 pandanus leaves

Coconut Topping:
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. rice flour

1 tbsp. mung beans, to serve
2 mangoes, sliced, to serve

Procedure:

1) Drain the soaked rice and place in a steamer lined with cheesecloth.  Steam until grains are soft, about 20-25 minutes (20 minutes if the rice was soaked overnight).

2) While rice is steaming, combine coconut milk, sugar, salt and pandanus leaves in a bowl; mix well.  Microwave for 2 minutes to dissolve salt and sugar; set aside.

3) When sticky rice is done, transfer  from steamer to a bowl.  While rice is still hot, add the coconut milk mixture.  Using a rubber spatula, stir to coat the grains quickly and evenly.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes for  rice to absorb the sauce.

4) To make the coconut topping, combine coconut milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  In a bowl, blend rice flour with 1 tablespoon of water and mix well to dissolve the rice flour.  While the coconut sauce is simmering, slowly drizzle in the rice flour slurry and stir constantly.  Return to a boil, immediately remove from heat and set aside.

5) Soak mung beans in hot water for 1 hour.  Drain, pat dry and toast in a nonstick saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they are light brown and crispy.  Set aside.

6) To serve, place a small amount of sticky rice onto a plate with mango slices arranged on the side.  Pour 1-2 tablespoons of the coconut topping over sticky rice and sprinkle with toasted mung beans.

     And how did it come out?  Certainly a lot better than my first recipe.  Unfortunately, the first time I tried it I was still in the throes of a cold and so I couldn't really taste anything.  It tasted like it should be a lot better, but I couldn't really tell with my nose all stuffed up.  Fortunately, I had a lot of leftovers which keep for a surprisingly long time.  Some time later (I forget how long), Scott and I were requested to bring dessert for an Asian-themed dinner over at Lynnelle and Derek's.  So, I made a little more coconut topping, bought some fresh mangoes, and brought it over.  When I tasted it the second time, I could immediately tell that it tasted a lot better than my previous recipe and a lot closer to restaurant quality.  However, I still feel like there is still something missing, like the flavor is not quite as intense as I would like.  It is hard to put my finger on it.  I'll have to order this dessert it from a restaurant and do a mental comparison.  Now, on to the nit-picky details about the recipe itself:

     First of all, I have a little bit of a bone to pick with how this recipe is set up.  It doesn't mention soaking the mung beans until step 5 (almost the last step)!  This means that, if you are like me, and don't read the recipe ahead of time as carefully as you should have, you are stuck with an almost ready to go recipe but no mung beans to put on top!  Frustrating (and a good lesson about reading the complete recipe ahead of time)!  Not only that, but after waiting an hour, I found out that I wasn't the biggest fan of the mung beans on top in the first place.  For starters, the mung beans I had have their skin on so the flavor wasn't quite the same.  I don't feel they add much to the dish at all, although Scott loved having them separately as a snack.  So, when I had to make this dish a second time, I used the toasted coconut topping that from my first sticky rice and mango recipe.  I like it much better as a topping.
     I also didn't find "pandanus" leaves at the Asian market, but I did find "pandang" leaves in the frozen section which I am pretty sure are the same thing.  I think the leaves do add in some flavor, but it is hard to tell.  I once again had the problem of not having the right type of steamer (see my amok recipe), so I used my rice cooker.  Fortunately, it came out just fine. I did like the addition of the rice flour to the coconut topping.  It makes the topping a lot thicker and so the dessert resembles it's restaurant version even more.  Now, if only I could figure out why this isn't 100% like the restaurant version.  It's very frustrating, but still very good!

Sticky rice with mangoes