Thai Sticky Brown Rice with Mango

I can never say no to one thing. That’s dessert. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Really, I could. Ask Cy, and he would agree and shake his head at the same time.

So, imagine if dessert was actually good for you! No, really it can be. I was asked by Sandy (@savvari) to take part in a recipe post featuring a USA-grown brown rice (“unrefined” kind of white rice). It turns out that brown rice is a heck a lot better for you than white rice. Here are some health benefits you might enjoy:

• High fibre content for better poop
• Rich in naturally-occurring oils to fight cholesterol
• Rich in anti-oxidants just like blueberries

So, brown rice is good for you and I had dessert on my mind. Thai sticky rice with mango using brown rice!

Ingredients for this simple dessert included the following:

Plus, glutinous rice, maple syrup, and water.

1. Soak 1/2 cup of brown rice with 1/2 cup of glutinous rice in 1 cup of water for at least 30 minutes
2. Pour all the rice and water into a pot + additional 3/4 cup of water + 1/4 can of coconut milk, and bring to a gentle boil
3. Add a pinch of salt, and 3-4 tablespoons of maple syrup – then, bring down the heat to med-high with the lid half on so that the steam escapes
4. Stir from time to time, and turn off the heat after 20 minutes. Let it sit with the lid fully covering the pot for 5-10 minutes
5. In a separate pot, prepare the coconut sauce with the remaining coconut milk – heat and add some maple syrup to sweeten
6. To assemble, place rice into a cup to mold it then flip it onto a plate. Pour coconut sauce, and top with sliced ripe mango and grated lime zest

*I tried cooking the rice over the stove top, but you could probably try this in a rice cooker – my favourite way to cook brown rice.

For more information and a special brown rice recipe, take a look at the vid below:

Thanks to Sandy and USA Rice for this opportunity to try brown rice from USA.