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
Ingredients
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1 cup
sweet (glutinous) rice
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1/2
vanilla bean, split lengthwise
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2 cups
coconut water
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1 cup
diced mango
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Toasted chia seeds, for sprinkling
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Black sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Directions
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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.
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In the morning, drain water (discard soaked vanilla bean solid), cover container with plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.
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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.
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Stir in diced mango. Serve rice in bowls, topped with toasted chia seeds and black sesame. Enjoy.
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.
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