I should start by saying that this is probably one of the most important blog posts I have written in a long time...I take my food seriously and when it comes to sticky rice, my favorite of favorite dishes, this is EXTREMELY serious business. I have spent hours, carefully considering the recipe for this post so please, savor it if you will!
In Thailand, glutinous rice is known as sticky rice which the locals call 'khao neow.' Sticky rice is a staple food for the people of Central, Northern, and Northeastern Thailand and can be eaten 3 times a day with any meal. It is a type of short-grained rice that becomes extra sticky when cooked, and it has been cultivated throughout Asia for more than 1,000 years.
Fun Fact: It is commonly rumored that sticky rice was used to make the mortar when constructing the Great Wall of China.
So, how to eat sticky rice like a local? Mostly sticky rice is served in a small, woven bamboo basket and accompanies any dish: fried or grilled meats, steamed vegetables, curries and soups. The local technique includes gathering a small amount in your forefingers, and rolling the rice tightly into a small ball (the size of a golf ball.) Then the rice is dipped into sauces or eaten alone to bring down the spice level of any dish.
[After studious care and attention over the years, I have discovered a 2:1 ratio with many of my friends...2 bites of meats or veggies, to 1 bite of sticky rice...and so on, and so on, and so on...But of course, 'alai ga dai' up to you!]
Saturday evening one of the big boys from the Baan Unrak Home put the idea in my head that we should, correction HAD TO, make 'khao lam' sticky rice grilled in bamboo. COOL. I've only seen this dish cooked once before, years ago, high up on a mountain during one of the many trekking trips I used to lead in the Northern mountain ranges outside of Chiang Mai. The cook that time, well she didn't have a clear idea of what she was doing, so the rice was more runny than sticky...not correct my friend!
But alas, a real teacher...allow me to introduce you to Taraka Nat. As the shirt implies this kid is real trouble. He's a sweet talker, a charmer, and overall one overly-confident 20 year old constantly looking for trouble...and somehow he always convinces me to go along for the ride.
OK. Jokes aside Taraka Nat, aka Baby, is a great role model for the boys here; he is one of the special kids from the Baan Unrak Home eligible to study at a university in the capital Bangkok city. Schools across the country have been closed temporarily due to the floods, so he's spent a lot of time around the Home lately looking for entertainment. He's found it, in annoying the heck out of me day in and day out... every morning he gets these whimsical ideas, "let's do this today!", "let's do that!", and sometimes I entertain them...this one however, I have to give it to him, was GENIUS!
How to make 'Khao Lam':
Step 1: Go to the jungle.
Serious. I piled 7 boys into the back of a pick up truck and drove outside Sangkhlaburi village to the mountains surrounding Songkalia River, just a stone's throw from the Burmese border. From there it was a steep climb to the top, to many tops in fact since we got lost and confused about which mountain we were supposed to be climbing!
We were on the hunt for white bamboo, chosen for its size, strength, and extra fragrant insides for the cooking of our rice. Hunting for this bamboo was like hunting for some critically rare species, a mythical beast; it was a journey that lasted hours walking up and down, up and down, up and down through the dense forest....the moment we found our bamboo we posed for a group photo, like pioneers savoring our conquest all wide smiles and crazy eyes: 'This land we discovered on our own!'
Step 2: Chop bamboo into small pipes, each one roughly measuring 1/2 meter long. The trick is to cut the bamboo at an angle, where the knobs meet, so that you can fill each pipe with water and have it not fall out the bottom.
Step 3: Create rice mixture. In one large bowl mix one part sticky rice, two parts coconut milk, and add sugar and salt to taste. The milk should cover the rice completely, and the mixture should be sweet, very sweet, in fact because the cooking process will make the rice more savory and because the children convinced me that in Thailand there was no such thing as tooth decay. 'Only myth!'
Please note: sticky rice must soak for a few hours, preferably overnight, in cold water prior to cooking preparation.
Once the mixture is set, carefully spoon the contents into the bamboo pipes and pack the tops with banana leaves to keep in the steam and heat while cooking.
Step 4: Man makes fire.
A small fire is best for this kind of grilling. Lay the bamboo gently against a rail or fixture. Leave it alone for a while, it can take from 1.5-2 hours of cooking until the rice is ready (depends on the size of the bamboo.)
Step 5: Eat.
Gently peel the bamboo open at the top to check its contents. If the mix is runny, and milk is obvious from the top it is not yet ready. If you don't see any water, and the rice appears solid you're good!
The best part of the whole cooking process is the moment you can take your bamboo and slice it open to reveal the sweet contents inside. This time our khao lam was extra, extra sweet and a perfect midnight snack!
The rice, when properly cooked, should be chewy. It should fold into your fingers easily and be sweet enough to eat alone (and served with fresh fruit if available!) We feasted. Each of us had 2 or 3 pipes that night and stumbled into our beds with swollen bellies and light hearts. A campfire, a feast and good company...what else can you ask for in life?
...I know...MARSHMALLOWS! Mom, Dad? If you're reading this, please include marshmallows in your next care package. The kids (the biggest of which is of course, me) would FLIP for those! Until next time, adieu.
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