Discover This Exotic Thai Rice Pudding That Will Delight Your Taste Buds!

If there’s one dessert that universally brings comfort, it’s rice pudding. Creamy, delicately flavored with vanilla, and dusted with a hint of cinnamon, it brings back memories of childhood snacks and grandma’s recipes. It’s one of those desserts found around the world, each country adding its own local ingredients. In Spain, arroz con leche is often perfumed with cinnamon and lemon zest, while in the Middle East, riz bi halib might include orange blossom or rose water. It’s the same basic dish, but tailored to local tastes.

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Thousands of miles away from our kitchens, this beloved classic takes on an entirely new persona. Let’s travel to Thailand, where rice is also savored in a sweet form, but with much more exotic flavors. Here, vanilla pods are replaced by coconut milk, a quintessential ingredient in Thai cooking that transforms the dessert into a true sensory journey. Pair it with some slices of ripe mango, and you have a delicious and refreshing combination that’s become a staple across the country.

What’s it called? Mango sticky rice. This Thai specialty combines steamed sticky rice, slightly sweetened coconut milk, and ripe mango. Both tender and creamy, this dessert is incredibly fragrant and is one of the most popular in the country. On Instagram, @margaukitchen demonstrates step-by-step how to prepare mango sticky rice for two. She starts by soaking 200 g of sticky rice in water for 4 hours, then drains it well. She places a circle of parchment paper in a small steamer basket, adds the rice, and sets the basket over a pot of boiling water. She covers it and lets it steam for 20 minutes. In a bowl, she mixes 2 tablespoons of sugar with 200 ml of preheated coconut milk. Once the rice is cooked, she stirs in half of the sweetened coconut milk and lets it sit covered for 10 minutes.

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All that’s left is plating. On a plate, she places the sticky rice and drapes it with some of the sweetened coconut milk, then adds half a sliced mango on the side. She repeats the process for the second plate. Between the sweetness of the sticky rice, the creaminess of the coconut milk, and the freshness of the mango, this dessert has everything to make you forget about traditional rice pudding. Just a few bites will transport you!