Khao Niao

Khao niao is steamed glutinous rice and a staple of northern and northeastern Thai cooking. This profile follows Thai cookbook author Leela Punyaratabandhu's plain soaked-and-steamed version, without folding in sweet coconut-rice preparations or accompaniments.

The rice has a clean, gently sweet grain flavour with no added seasoning. Steaming preserves that simple taste while making the grains cohesive enough to pick up by hand alongside savoury dishes.

The cooked grains are opaque-white to translucent, soft and notably chewy. They cling together in small portions but remain dry and distinct rather than wet, creamy or mushy.