Bean

Sweet Rice with Mango, Chia and Black Sesame

March 22, 2011
5
2 Ratings
  • Serves 4-5
Author Notes

Although I have enjoyed it countless times as mochi, I have never cooked sweet rice before and this challenge inspired me to try. I was also curious to see what would happen if I used coconut water instead of milk. I made a Thai Basil, Coconut and Lime sorbet last summer using coconut water, and was happily surprised with the results. Here, the resulting dessert is a lighter alternative to a coconut milk pudding, and one that will get sweeter as heady mango season approaches. Toasted chia and black sesame add a lovely nutty contrast. - gingerroot —gingerroot

Test Kitchen Notes

If dessert (or even afternoon snack time!) rolls around and you're craving something light, tropical and just barely sweet then this sticky rice should hit the spot. The rice cooks up to have that familiar sticky texture but has only the faintest hint of coconut and sweetness. This really lets the mango pieces shine through as the focus of the dish. The chia seeds add a nice little extra bit of crunch on top of the more traditional black sesame without being obtrusive. - fiveandspice —fiveandspice

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sweet (glutinous) rice
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 2 cups coconut water
  • 1 cup diced mango
  • Toasted chia seeds, for sprinkling
  • Black sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Directions
  1. Combine rice and scraped seeds from half a vanilla bean in a quart sized Pyrex measure (or large bowl). Add 3 cups of water and soak overnight.
  2. In the morning, drain water (discard soaked vanilla bean solid), cover container with plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. Combine rice and coconut water in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, cover and lower heat to simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 45-50 minutes.
  4. Stir in diced mango. Serve rice in bowls, topped with toasted chia seeds and black sesame. Enjoy.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • healthierkitchen
    healthierkitchen
  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
  • Kitchen Butterfly
    Kitchen Butterfly
  • hardlikearmour
    hardlikearmour
  • gingerroot
    gingerroot
gingerroot

Recipe by: gingerroot

My most vivid childhood memories have to do with family and food. As a kid, I had the good fortune of having a mom who always encouraged trying new things, and two grandmothers who invited me into their kitchens at a young age. I enjoy cooking for the joy it brings me - sharing food with loved ones - and as a stress release. I turn to it equally during good times and bad. Now that I have two young children, I try to be conscientious about what we cook and eat. Right about the time I joined food52, I planted my first raised bed garden and joined a CSA; between the two I try to cook as sustainably and organically as I can. Although I'm usually cooking alone, my children are my favorite kitchen companions and I love cooking with them. I hope when they are grown they will look back fondly at our time spent in the kitchen, as they teach their loved ones about food-love. Best of all, after years on the mainland for college and graduate school, I get to eat and cook and raise my children in my hometown of Honolulu, HI. When I'm not cooking, I am helping others grow their own organic food or teaching schoolchildren about art.

8 Reviews

healthierkitchen April 3, 2011
do you toast the chia seeds in a pan like sesame seeds?
 
gingerroot April 3, 2011
Hi healthierkitchen, yes toast the chia seeds in a dry pan until fragrant.
 
Sagegreen March 28, 2011
I love your use of the black sesame for contrast! I use it that way, too. This will be a great recipe to try for a dessert.
 
gingerroot March 29, 2011
Black sesame has such a lovely nuttiness...here it really balances the sweet of the coconut water and vanilla. Thanks, Sagegreen - I hope you try it.
 
Kitchen B. March 24, 2011
I am a rice pudding fan...and a fan of most things Japanese....This looks comforting!
 
gingerroot March 25, 2011
Thanks, KB! A warm bowl of this is quite comforting.
 
hardlikearmour March 22, 2011
Yum! love coconut and mango together.
 
gingerroot March 24, 2011
Thanks! It is light and sweet.