Glutinous rice (sticky rice, sweet rice) is a rice with almost no amylose, so the grains turn soft, chewy and clingy when cooked. It contains no gluten; the name just means glue-like. Raw grains are chalky opaque white rather than translucent. Thai sticky rice (khao niao) is long-grain and served in baskets with larb, grilled chicken and mango sticky rice; Chinese and Japanese types are short and rounder, used for zongzi, lo mai gai, congee toppings and mochi. Black glutinous rice is a whole-grain version with the dark bran left on, nutty and purple when cooked, used in Southeast Asian sweet porridge and Malaysian pulut hitam.

How to buy

Asian grocers sell 2 to 5 lb bags labeled glutinous, sweet or sticky rice. For Thai and Lao dishes choose long-grain Thai brands such as Three Ladies, Erawan or Golden Phoenix. For Chinese dumplings and Japanese sweets choose short-grain, sold as sweet rice or mochigome (Koda Farms Sho-Chiku-Bai in the US). Black glutinous rice is usually Thai (khao niao dam) or Indonesian; check that the grains are uniformly dark and not mixed with red rice. Regular supermarkets rarely stock it, but Amazon does.

How to store

Uncooked, it keeps a year or more in a sealed container in a cool cupboard; black glutinous rice has oils in its bran and is best used within six months or frozen. Cooked sticky rice hardens fast in the fridge; eat it the same day if you can, or refrigerate up to 2 days and re-steam or microwave with a splash of water under a damp towel. It freezes well for a month in portions.

Substitutes

  • Short-grain Japanese sushi rice 1:1 — sticky and soft but less chewy and it will not hold together in a basket or a shaped dumpling.
  • Arborio or other risotto rice 1:1 — clumps reasonably for puddings and porridge; the flavor is blander and the grains split.
  • Black rice (forbidden rice) for black glutinous 1:1 — same color and nuttiness, but it cooks firm and separate rather than sticky; add a little white glutinous rice to compensate.

How to use

Soak white glutinous rice in cold water at least 4 hours or overnight, drain, then steam 20 to 25 minutes in a bamboo basket or a cheesecloth-lined steamer; do not boil it in a pot like regular rice or it turns to paste. A rice cooker works if you use about 20 percent less water than for white rice. Black glutinous rice needs an overnight soak and 45 minutes to an hour of simmering. Never skip the soak, and for mango sticky rice pour the coconut milk over the rice while it is hot so it absorbs.

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