It’s no secret I have a sweet tooth. If I have just eaten lunch or dinner, I probably want dessert. If I have just eaten dessert, I may want additional dessert. I can’t hide my love for chocolate, fruit and froyo so I’ve decided to embrace it. I also welcome any chance to try new sweets as we trot around the globe and Thailand had a few to offer, including steamed coconut custard prepared in a broad banana leaf, various cookies and my favorite, mango sticky rice.
Consistently delicious
One of the most popular Thai desserts is mango sticky rice. Kim and Aubrie don’t particularly enjoy mango, leaving this dish entirely to me. I ate it three times: once from a food market vendor in Krabi, from a roadside vendor in Krabi and one last time in the airport in Bangkok. Each time, it consisted of half a perfectly ripe mango sliced, about a quarter cup of cooked (and sticky) rice, coconut milk and toasted sesame seeds or mung beans. The creamy, sticky rice, sweetened by the coconut milk complemented the mango’s flavor well, and the crunchy seeds/beans add a fun texture variation as well as a little salt. I think the coconut milk also has a salty quality.
To the left, airport-grade mango sticky rice in its natural habitat. I appreciated that it was securely contained until after takeoff, then I devoured it.
To the right, the contents of my roadside containers, had I taken the time and effort to arrange it on a plate. (This image was taken from www.thesmartlocal.com because I am not good at taking pictures yet.) The roadside vendors charged anywhere from 40-80 Thai Baht ($1.28-$2.50 USD) and the airport was 150 Baht ($4.80 USD.)
The mango was always perfectly ripe and the rice was never too sweet or glutinous, regardless of where I bought it. Mango sticky rice is on my radar and I will seek it out in any southeast Asian country we venture to.
I’m stuck on you
February 11, 2020 update: since returning to Thailand for our winter break, I’ve revisited this delicacy twice. I bought some at that same food market in Krabi as last year for 60 Baht. It was still sweet, salty, sticky and warm. I thought I’d hit the jackpot with the amount of mango she appeared to give me, but she actually just included the large central pit. And tonight Kim and I stopped at a farmer’s market for fresh vegetables. My wandering eye skipped over the tables of beautiful bell peppers and mushrooms, landing straight on the lady selling mango cake and sticky rice. We did make a mostly healthy purchase of mushrooms, cabbage and tomatoes, but we ALSO bought this gem for 40 Baht: 
What it lacked in presentation, it made up for in quality, both of ingredients and packaging. See that little baggie with the red rubber band? I worried it would pop open in transit back to our island home. (Keep in mind, while we’re here, our transportation options are walking, riding mountain bikes or tottering around on a scooter that I haven’t worked up the courage to try driving yet. Kim does a good job though. Except for that one ditch. But we’re not talking about that here.) Anyway, the baggie of coconut milk stayed closed in our grocery bag as I took turns clutching it, Kim’s back and the back of our scooter during our two-mile ride home.
How can I take you home?
Most of the time, my brain and belly are on vacation when I write here. Our situation is a little different at the moment, with the coronavirus keeping us from returning home to China so I’ll need to recalibrate. When we’re home and in a good routine, we have been highly successful when we actually follow the ketogenic lifestyle. In a nutshell, a keto diet is low in carbohydrates (goodbye, rice and the natural sugar in most fruit) while leaning moderately on protein and highly on fats. On a whim I Googled “keto mango sticky rice” and found a recipe that I will most definitely try when I have access to the right ingredients and kitchen gadgets.
We would love to hear from you if you’ve ever had mango sticky rice, another yummy cultural treat, or if you make Dr. Tara’s dessert!
