Thai Mango Sticky Rice Pudding (Khao Niaow Ma Muang)

Thai Mango Sticky Rice Pudding (Khao Niaow Ma Muang) - Served like a verrine

Bottom layer - Rice pudding, Second layer - Mango puree, Third layer - sliced mangoes

The name is quite a mouthful by itself, isn't it?!!

The magic wand of the monsoons is still holding us under its spell. It always fills me with buoyancy and energy when I see a carpet of green outside my window (...sometimes I just like to cuddle myself in a warm sheet and hibernate). To add melody to the view little fantails keep flitting in and out of my window grill, teasing me with their short punctuated tweets or long drawn whistles. Sometimes like today, I simply leave everything and sit on the sill admiring the walk of the moorhen which reminds of a hobbling old man and I invariably hum 'aaya aaya chenuwaali chunni ka baba...', the crows fighting over a piece of mango or the bulbul that does not seem inclined to sing in the rain.

Everyday when I step out I note that new flowers have blossomed where there were only buds the day before. Trees spring surprises by bringing forth tender new shoots where there were hollows earlier. Rains I realize can never dampen my spirits, infact I feel a lift all the time and find myself smiling at strangers and friends alike (quite silly but true!). Just the other day we had a power failure in our office and while it took the technicians a little over an hour to set the fault right, the unexpected break gave us precious time to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Marine Drive promenade. Here are few snapshots, the rest are in twitpic and in my other flickr blog. We had a great time playing antakshari and getting sprayed with sea water every now and then. I had to stop clicking only for fear that my camera would get spoilt:). Good I did as I had to run for cover thanks to a sudden downpour (We were 14 and there were only 3 umbis!). The rains in Mumbai are like naughty kids - just when you think its all sunny you get caught in heavy shower, and the moment you bring out and pull open your umbrellas, its all gone! When we came back we were quite amused to see that the place was filled with lovey dovey couples:).

For those of you who have left Mumbai do visit M.D when you are here next. The promenade is now made with marble, cleaned regularly and the platforms have been widened enough to play gully cricket. The road is pretty much dotted green with small herbs and bushes, most of the trees have feeders placed though I do not know whether they contain anything:)! A sight you would not associate with Mumbai. I must share some of these sights with you:

Rains are the reigning pleasure

2nd serving suggestion - Mix the sauce and rice and serve with mangoes on top

Cooking is a pleasure as my kitchen is no longer hot or humid but making my food look tempting is another question altogether. The light is never enough for a good photograph. With the first downpour the hapoos/alphonsos (mango variety) disappeared and the fruit markets were filled with other varieties of mango such as kesar, daseri, totapuri and langda. Out of the four kesar tastes the best. It is also well suited for most desserts as it is less fibrous and has a luscious deep orange colour. Last year while scouting for mango recipes I had come across several recipes for 'Thai Mango Sticky Rice Pudding', and I knew I would make it someday. The flavours are very Indian and yet different from anything I had tasted before. One rainy day I made this and took it to office to add variety to my packed lunch. If you have a love for coconut milk, this dish is guaranteed to win your favour. Being vegan makes it perfect for me too:).

3rd serving suggestion: Pack the pudding into a shot glass, turn it over into a bowl. Float and top with custard sauce and mango pieces. In this case I added saffron to the rice pudding hence it turned yellow.

Dish: Thai Mango Sticky Rice Pudding (Khao Niaow Ma Muang) - Vegan too!
Yield: Serves 5 - 7 depending on appetite of course!
(This is how I made mine)

Ingredients:
Ripe, firm mangoes chopped into bite sized cubes or sliced thick - 2 cups
Any glutinous rice variety (I used ambemore rice) - 1 cup
Thick coconut milk (I grated and squeezed out fresh milk) - 3 cups + 1 cup for sauce
Flesh of a tender coconut (optional but recommended), chopped into itty-bitty bits.
Almond nut milk or any milk of your choice - 1 cup
Cornflour/maize starch - 1.5 tsp.
Vanilla stick - 1
Sugar - 1/2 + 1/4 cup (more if you have a sweet tongue)

4th serving suggestion - in a baking dish, a layer of sauce alternated with a layer of pudding and topped with long slices of mangoes.

Method:
Soak cleaned rice for at least 3 to 4 hours and drain.

Cook the rice in 2 cups of water till almost done. Now add 3 cups of coconut milk and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir well and cook till the milk is completely absorbed and the rice turns soft. Stir in between to avoid sticking in the bottom of the vessel and burning. Let cool.

Meanwhile stir the cornflour(or vanilla custard powder), almond milk and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Slit the vanilla bean and scrape the powder into the liquid. Heat in a pan to form a thick sauce taking care to stir all the while. Stir the remaining 1 cup coconut milk into this sauce to form the coconut sauce.

To serve pour a thin layer of sauce, top with a layer of the rice and a tablespoon of the sauce, top with chunks of mango and slurp!

I have made this quite a few times and took pictures each time. It is recommended that this pudding should be served warm but I liked it better cold. I just mixed the sauce with the rice and the chunks of mangoes and carried it to office. It was much tastier than topping with the chunks as the flavour of the mangoes had been infused into the pudding by then. I served it differently each time so I have quite a few pics:).

One for Jr.H in black!

(One for the daughter who loves anything on black!)

ENJOY:)

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Other mango based treats on TONGUE TICKLERS......:

Eggless Mango Ice Cream - King Alphonso
Various - Vegan Bundt Cakes
Mango banana frangipane tart
Mix fruit from Khaogali