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Mango with sticky rice, also known as khao niao mamuang in Thai, is arguably the most popular sweet dish in Thailand. It’s found on every street corner and fanciest of restaurants, day or night.
Servings:
5 portions
approx 3 cups
Ready In:
15 Minutes
Calories:
90 per serving
Good For:
Deserts
Treats
What Does Mango, With Sticky Rice Taste Like?
If you see bamboo baskets littered all around, you can be sure that it’s sticky rice inside! What makes it so popular? There’s something about the sweet but somehow also salty rice that’s warm and gooey and creamy and full of great-smelling spices. Pair this with light and refreshing mango for an irresistible duet.
My First Experience of Mango with Sticky Rice:
Traveling around South East Asia, I got to experience this dish for the first time. Back home, we have rice pudding, though similar, not as good. Ever since the glorious Thai trip, I’ve wanted to experiment with Mango Sticky Rice.
Can We Make It Healthier
In terms of taste, this dish needs no altering. Still, for some of us that prefer less sugar, fewer carbs, and healthier food alternatives, I’ve got a version that still hangs on to the very essence of what makes this dish so great but is packed with wholesome, gut-healing properties.
Healthier Substitutions For Mango With Sticky Rice
Barley Replaces Rice
For the first alteration, this might sound crazy, but the rice has to go! Even though white rice is not the unhealthiest thing out there, there is arsenic in white rice (2), and it is highly refined to increase cooking quality and shelf life. As a result, white rice does not have a high nutritional value. Instead, I used Barley, a whole grain packed with vitamins and minerals and secret powers to strengthen gut flora through a very long and complicated mechanism involving butyrate. You’re more than welcome to read the research on it here. I found it VERY interesting!
A Healthy Sugar
The next thing that has to go is the sugar, and boy, does the original Mango with sticky rice recipe call for a ton of it! Instead of sugar, I opted for my all-time favorite natural sweetener -Dates. If you have a quick look at my Date Syrup Recipe, you’ll understand all the incredible abilities this marvelous stone-fruit has, and best of all, it can be substituted 1:1 with sugar and have weight loss abilities! Yes, that’s right, I didn’t stutter!
The rest of the ingredients needed are the same as most traditional mango and sticky rice recipes. Have a look at the full recipe below.
Nutrition
- Calories: 90 Calories
- Protein: 1g
- Carbs: 12g
- Fiber: 1g
- Sugar: 8g
Amounts per serving:
- Protein 1g 5%
- Carbohydrates 12g 55%
- of Which Sugar is 8g 36%
- Fiber 1g 5%
Mango With Sticky Rice Recipe
Equipment
- Rice cooker
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Barley
- 11/2 cups Water
- 3 tbsp Date Syrup or 6 whole pitted dates
- 1/2 cup Coconut milk
- 1 pinch flavors: cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon
Instructions
- Simmer coconut milk with cinnamon, vanilla essence and cardamons. Remove about 50mls of the mixture and set aside for later.
- Add in the cooked barley. Let the barley thicken in the milk mixture, stir continuously to prevent burning the bottom
- Depending on how you're serving this dish, slice the mango as desired. Use a potato peeler to create the flower look or cut into blocks or thin sticks.
- Make a pouring sauce using the coconut milk you put aside, add 1 tsp of tapioca flour, and blend well. Bring to a boil until the mixture thickens. When you’re ready to serve, pour over the final dish.
Final notes
My recipes will always include the best possible food choices to encourage the healthiest possible outcome. Don’t forget that every time you eat, you are either fighting or feeding disease. Make good choices!
