Easy Thai Sticky (Glutinous) Rice: In Which even-star Gets Steamed, MacGyvers Up

I love Thai sticky rice but I used to think it was the exclusive purview of the Thai restaurant because it needed special equipment. How wrong I was! You can make Thai restaurant style sticky (glutinous) rice very easily at home with common kitchen utensils you are bound to have on hand. All you need for perfect sticky rice is a big pot with a lid, a sieve that can rest on the pot and be covered by the lid, and a stove.





Sticky or Glutinous rice is an actual type of rice. You can't really substitute a regular long or short grain rice because, in spite of its name, glutinous does not actually have any gluten in it like other types of rice. It is steamed instead of boiled but you don't need to buy a bamboo steamer or rice cooker or even one of those crazy Thai rice steaming set ups with the pot and bamboo cone.



You can get sticky rice at an Asian grocery or super market or you can even order off the internet. I get my sticky rice from the Chinese cash-and-carry down the road from work. It is lovely with curries and also good with Chinese dishes that are very saucy because it is very easy to pick up with chopsticks.



When I first brought a bag of it home I was so excited that I could make one of my favourite foods at home but had no idea how to cook it. Initial searches for advice yielded ridiculous requirements like eight hours of soaking or the use of very specialist steaming equipment. However I stuck with it and came upon a great video tutorial. Why did I trust this tutorial more than all the other information I had found?





Because it was done in a kitchen by a little Thai lady. She cooked it right there, with just regular equipment just about everyone has, and it came out perfect.



So to save you the trouble of hunting around for instructions like I did I will summarize an easy method for perfect Thai sticky rice every time.



How to Make Perfect Thai Sticky Rice



For two people you will need 1 1/2 to 2 cups glutinous rice. I go for 2 cups because I love it so much!



Soak the rice for at least 20 minutes in water. It turns out you can't really get away from the pre-soaking but you do not need to plan a day ahead as some people suggest. Eight hours? That is just silly. I like to soak mine for about an hour if possible. If you don't have that much time soak it in hot water.



Just bear in mind that the longer you soak it the less cooking time it will need.



Put your large pot on the stove and rest your sieve on top. Fill the pot with enough water to come about 6 inches from the bottom of the sieve. You don't want the water actually touching the rice.

Bring the water to a boil.



Drain the soaked rice and dump it in the sieve and cover with the pot lid.



Let it steam away for about ten minutes.



After ten minutes turn the rice over or give it a bit of a stir.



Let it steam with the lid on for another five minutes and check it.

If all the grains have gone translucent and it is all sticky then it is done.



Keep an eye on it so it doesn't cook too long. You want to turn the heat off as soon as you are sure all the grains are cooked.



Let is sit in the sieve over the hot water for another five minutes before serving or it will keep hot like this for a further hour or so.









Results



When I served this up to SD, who had never had sticky rice until I took him to our local Thai place, concluded that it was waaaaay better than "that stuff we had at the restaurant". Most likely because it was fresh from the steamer.



Recommendations



Unlike other kinds of rice, sticky rice does not reheat all that well so it is better to make less than more. Plan on about 1/2 to 3/4 cup uncooked rice per person.



I did come across instructions for cooking sticky rice in the microwave. I wasn't convinced but I might give it a go when I am just making it for myself. I don't like to experiment when I have company. Because it can go very badly wrong. And then you have to call the pizza guy which means awkward questions because you're on first name basis... Trust me. You don't want to go there.



You can eat sticky rice with your fingers! Just serve a heap on a plate and let people roll balls to dip in sauces.



Sticky rice can also be used in desserts. I might try this out as many of the recipes call for coconut. One of my favourite flavours!