Xôi Nếp Than Xoài Chan Nước Dừa (Black Sticky Rice with Mango and Coconut Sauce)

The Father's Day barbecue dinner ended on a very sweet note - my new favorite dessert - and my husband enjoyed thoroughly.

Black Sticky Rice with Mango and Coconut Sauce is an exotic dessert perfect for a summer evening. Its unique, attractive, deep purple color and exotic taste immersed in the aroma of pandan leaves, a creamy coconut drizzle, the nutty flavor of toasted sesame seeds and sweet mango guarantee that you
will be asking for seconds .

The kids enjoyed Black Sticky Rice by the Koi pond

Black Glutinous Rice or Black Sticky Rice (Nếp Than aka Nếp Cẩm) is a natural rice with grains that are unevenly colored and look like wild rice when dry. Its rich, nutty flavor is distinctly different from the more subtle delicateness of white glutinous sweet rice. On a closer look, you will notice that "black" sticky rice isn't really black at all. After soaking for a few hours, the water will turn into a deep purple color, showing the rice's true natural color.

Base on the Blackrice.com website article, the main thing that separates Black Rice from all the other varieties of rice is its amazingly strong Antioxidant properties; this comes from its pigment. This is the type of pigment found in other types of antioxidant rich foods such as the many varieties of berries. Black Rice is also a well known anti-inflammatory food, which helps cut down on general infections and illnesses. In recent studies antioxidants have been found to seriously slow down the aging process, so Black Rice is really worth eating if just for those benefits alone; but it also offers an entire host of health benefits. For more info on black rice, click here. For a great dessert, scroll down.

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RECIPE: Xôi Nếp Cẩm Xoài Chan Nước Dừa
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Printable Recipe
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Ingredients

2 cups Black Glutinous Rice (Black Sticky Rice)
4 Ripe Mangoes

2 tablespoons Toasted Sesame Seeds

1 Pandan Leaves, tied together, optional

For Brown Coconut Sauce

1 cup Coconut Milk

1/2 cup Palm or Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 pandan leaf, tied together, optional

For White Coconut Sauce

1 can of coconut milk (13.5 oz)

1/2 teaspoon Salt

3 tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract or Pandan Leave, tied together

1 tablespoon Water + 1 teaspoon Tapioca Flour, mixed well

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Making Brown Sugar Coconut Sauce

Heat the coconut milk, palm or brown sugar, salt and a tied pandan leaf in a saucepan. Stir constantly,
until the sugar is dissolved. Set it aside.

Making Glutinous Black Rice

Place rice in a bowl with water. Run your fingers through the rice and remove other noticeable impurities. Rinse the rice a couple times until the water clears. Cover rice with water and allow to soak overnight.

When ready to cook, drain the rice and place it with a tied pandan leaf in a heat-proof bowl. Add a small amount of boiling water just below the level of the rice grains. Place the bowl on a steamer rack and steam over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Pour the brown sugar coconut sauce over the rice. Stir and mix well. Contitue steaming for another 15-20 minutes to allow the flavorings to be absorbed.

Making White Coconut Sauce

If using pandan leave, tie it into a short string. Bring the sugar, salt, pandan leave and coconut milk to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the tapioca flour mixture and stir it at the same time. Add vanilla extract if you don't use panda leave. Pour coconut sauce into a bowl and set aside.

Preparing Mango

Peel the mango skin with a peeler. Cut mango into small pieces. Set it aside.

Presentation

To serve, place small portions of the sticky rice on individual plates or cups, drizzle on the coconut sauce, top with sesame seeds and accent with slices of mango.