How do you make sticky rice with a rice cooker?
Thai sticky rice is a very popular meal both in the
However, it is possible to make sticky rice in a
rice cooker, giving you a tasty and quick meal that is fun to eat and more
flavorful than most rice styles.
How to Make Sticky Rice
The first step is to get Thai sticky rice in the
store – sticky rice IS its own kind of rice (you may see it listed as
glutinous rice, which translate roughly to “gluey”). Make sure you buy a
good brand, as this type of rice can vary a bit in taste since there is so
much more flavor to it.
For every 1 cup of rice, you will want to add
approximately 1 ¼ cups of water. It may be easier to do increments of 2 or 4
cups of dry rice so that measuring is simpler. Make sure you use American
cup sizes and not the sizes that come with your rice cooker.
Your first step is to place the rice and water into
the rice cooker and stir them all together. Rather than turn it on right
away, let he rice sit for a while in order to soak up a small amount of
liquid. After about a half hour, some people like to add a very tiny bit of
salt. Stir again – note that in general you do not often stir rice together,
but with sticky rice it is advised.
Turn on your rice cooker and then wait. There is
less water with sticky rice than there is with standard white rice, so it
should not take very long for your rice cooker to complete the cooking
process assuming it is a fast worker.
Once the sticky rice is complete, take it out of
the rice cooker (it is better not to use the “keep warm” feature if
possible) and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes or longer. Sticky rice sticks
together more when it cools, rather than drying out, so the longer you wait,
the stickier it will be. Some people even wait one or two days before they
consume their sticky rice, placing it in the refrigerator and taking it out
whnen it is done.
After it has cooled, you can start making it into
balls with your hands, and choose a tasty sauce to go with it.
Sticky Rice Sauces
Sticky rice is also popular because it does a good
job of soaking up sauces. Usually you want something that contrasts the
flavor of the rice. In general, these sauces will be spicy and made with
chili powder. Dip the balls inside of the spicy sauce and enjoy.
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