Khao Niew

Place the glutinous rice in a large bowl, cover with room-temperature water by at least eight centimetres, and soak for a minimum of four hours. For the best texture, soak overnight for a full eight to twelve hours.

Before steaming, soak your bamboo steamer basket in water for fifteen minutes to prevent the rice from sticking and to generate additional steam during the cooking process that helps cook the rice evenly throughout.

Drain the soaked rice thoroughly in a fine-mesh sieve, shaking gently to remove excess water. Let it drain for five minutes so the grains are damp but not waterlogged when they go into the steamer.

Fill the base pot of your sticky rice steamer with water to about eight centimetres deep, ensuring the water level sits well below the bottom of the bamboo basket. Bring the water to a vigorous rolling boil.

Transfer the drained rice into the soaked bamboo basket, mounding it slightly in the centre. Place the basket over the boiling water, cover with a lid or aluminium foil, and steam on high heat for fifteen minutes.

Remove the lid, flip the entire mound of rice using a paddle or by inverting the basket briefly. Cover again and steam for another ten to fifteen minutes until the grains are translucent, sticky, and tender throughout.

Turn the cooked sticky rice out onto a clean wooden board or tray and gently fluff and fold it a few times with dampened hands or a paddle. Transfer it to a traditional bamboo serving basket and cover to keep warm.