Thailand receives flocks of foodie tourists throughout the year for their delectable variety of Thai food. The vast abundance of street food might be a tad too overwhelming for first timers to Thailand, but one will never go wrong with the classic Thai dessert – Mango Sticky Rice.

Mango Sticky Rice aka Kao Niow Mamuang is a popular Thai dessert amongst both locals and foreigners. Made with coconut milk, fresh mangoes and sticky glutinous rice, this dessert is a delightful contrast of sweet and saltiness. Mango Sticky Rice can be easily found in street vendors and even in upscale restaurants.

The fragrant Mango Sticky Rice is simply a must-eat at any trip to The Land of Smiles!

Creation of this dish is relatively simple and can be prepared within half an hour. Brown/palm sugar and salt are added to heated coconut milk until dissolved completely. The resulting mixture is then combined with cooked glutinous rice.

Freshly sliced mangoes are placed either above or beside the mini rice portion. The dessert is served warm at room temperature and is so delicious that even Australian celebrity chef David Thompson is a huge fan of this divine dessert.

The beauty of Thai food is that it is ever changing to cater to the differing tastes of diners. Dessert chefs are tweaking their recipes accordingly to their personal preferences; hence do expect to savour different variations of Mango Sticky Rice.

While there are many takes on this dessert, the key ingredients remain the same, namely sugar, coconut milk, salt, sticky rice and mangoes.

The best time to consume this tasty scrumptious dessert would be between the months of April and May, where mangoes are in season. Mango Sticky Rice can also be found in other neighbouring Southeast Asian countries such as Laos and Vietnam.