Kao Niow Neung

Ingredients
   - 2 cups long-grain white sticky rice, sweet rice or glutinous rice.
Rinse the rice, cover with tap water 2 to 3 inches above the level of the rice and soak four hours, or overnight. The rice will absorb much of the water and grow in size. It will also soften such that the grains easily break into pieces if pressed between the fingers.

Drain and spread loosely in a dry, small, shallow dish. Place the dish on a steamer rack positioned over a steamer pot with at least 1 1/2 inches of water on the bottom. Steam the rice dry (without any water added) over medium heat for half an hour, or until the grains are translucent, softened but chewy.

To cook larger quantities, use the special sticky rice steaming basket and pot set (they look like an inverted cone-shaped straw hat, balanced on a spittoon-shaped pot), available from Southeast Asian markets, so that the mass of grains cook evenly. A straw or wire mesh colander that fits inside a steamer pot works well as a substitute.

Avoid steaming on top of a piece of cloth lining a steamer rack, as the moisture the cloth absorbs may turn the layer of rice touching it into mush rather than cooking them in whole grains.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6.

Notes:
Sticky rice is a staple food of northern and northeastern Thailand and is frequently served with barbecued chicken and very spicy salads. It lends itself to eating with the hand, as with bread. When cooked as described above, the grains stay whole, stick to one another in a lump but do not stick to your hand. Pull off a small chunk with your fingers, roll it with your right hand (Thais eat only with one hand) into a small ball, then dip in sauce and/or pick up along with a small chunk of meat or spicy salad and enjoy. Rolling the sticky rice ball at the end of a meal cleans the hand of grease and other food particles; use it also to sop up any sauce or juices on the plate.

BuyingSticky Rice

Sticky rice is usually labelled "glutinous rice" or "sweet rice." The following brands are all good: Golden Phoenix, Butterfly, and Sanpatong (Three Ladies Brand).

Source : www.thaifoodandtravel.com Date : 25 July 2004 Time  : 15.00 hr.