Khao Niaw

Khao Niao is basically sticky rice, an integral part of traditional Thai and Laos cuisine, which is rolled by hand into small pieces and often contained in a small woven baskets.

It is cooked by soaking for several hours and then steaming in a bamboo basket or houat. After that, it should be turned out on a clean surface and kneaded with a wooden paddle to release the steam; this results in rice balls that will stick to themselves but not to fingers. The large rice ball is kept in a small basket made of bamboo or tip khao. The rice is sticky but dry, rather than wet and gummy like non-glutinous varieties. The fingers of the right hand are used to eat it by wadding the rice.

Laotians consume glutinous rice as part of their main diet; they also use toasted glutinous rice (khao khoua) to add a nut-like flavor to many dishes. A popular Lao meal is a combination of Lao grilled chicken (ping kai), Lao papaya salad (tam mak houng), and Lao sticky rice (khao niao).

Khao Niao has also been used for preparing a popular dish from Laos called Naem Khao (or Laotian crispy rice salad). It is made with deep-fried sticky rice balls, chunks of Lao-style fermented pork sausage called som moo, chopped peanuts, grated coconut, sliced scallions or shallots, mint, cilantro, lime juice, fish sauce, and other ingredients. Khao niao is also used as an ingredient in desserts. Khao niao mixed with coconut milk can be served with ripened mango or durian. Khao tôm is a steamed mixture of khao niao with sliced fruits and coconut milk.

In Thailand, glutinous rice is also known as khao niao in central Thailand and Isan, and as khao nueng in northern Thailand. Northern Thais (Lanna people) and northeastern Thais traditionally eat glutinous rice as their staple food. Southern and central Thais, and northeastern Thais from Surin Province and neighboring areas influenced by the Khmer-Thai people favor non-sticky khao chao.

The Thai variations of khao niao are as follows:

• Famous among tourists in Thailand is khao niao mamuang, sweet coconut sticky rice with mango, while khao niao tat, sweet sticky rice with coconut cream and black beans, Khao niao na krachik, sweet sticky rice topped with caramelized roasted grated coconut, khao niao kaeo, sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and sugar and khao tom hua ngok, sticky rice steamed with banana with grated coconut and sugar, are traditional popular desserts.
• Khao lam is sticky rice with sugar and coconut cream cooked in specially prepared bamboo sections of different diameters and lengths. It can be prepared with white or dark purple (khao niao dam) varieties of glutinous rice. Sometimes a few beans or nuts are added and mixed in. Thick khao lam containers may have a custard-like filling in the center made with coconut cream, egg and sugar.
• Khao chi are cakes of sticky rice having the size and shape of a patty and a crunchy crust. In order to prepare them, the glutinous rice is laced with salt, often also slightly coated with beaten egg, and grilled over a charcoal fire. They were traditionally made with leftover rice and given in the early morning to the children, or to passing monks as offering.
• Khao pong is a crunchy preparation made of leftover steamed glutinous rice that is pounded and pressed into thin sheets before being grilled.
• Khao tom mat, cooked sticky rice mixed with banana and wrapped in banana leaf, khao ho, sticky rice molded and wrapped in conical shape, khao pradap din, kraya sat and khao thip are preparations based on glutinous rice used as offerings in religious festivals and ceremonies for merit-making or warding off evil spirits.
• Khao niao ping, sticky rice mixed with coconut milk and taro (khao niao ping pheuak), banana (khao niao ping kluai) or black beans (khao niao ping tua), wrapped in banana leaf and grilled slowly over charcoal fire.
• Khao khua, roasted ground glutinous rice, is indispensable for making the northeastern Thai dishes larb, nam tok, and nam chim chaeo. Some recipes also ask for khao khua in certain northern Thai curries.