THAILAND: Mango and Sticky Rice

The first few days in Thailand, were spent with a friend (Namwaan) from University. One of the places we went was a district called Hua Hin. Hua Hin is a lovely place about 2 hours outside of Bangkok right by the beach.

There are some great things to see in and around Hua Hin, although not really accessible if you dont have a car! Namwaan took us to see some really beautiful Buddah statues, some delicious restaurants, some cool markets (including a floating one) and a lovely beach. Something that really stood out for me at the beach was just how warm the water was. It was almost like taking a bath and probably warmer in the water than out! Unfortunately after about 1/2 an hour at the beach, the heavans decided to open and we had to run back to the hotel.

Although we went to some delicious places for dinner, my favourite food I tried in Hua Hin was mango and sticky rice. This actually doesnt surprise me at all as the first thing Namwaan said to me when we decided to go to Hua Hin was "you have to try this dessert, you will love it and this is the best place in Thailand to get it!" and she was right!

The Mango and Sticky rice (as the name suggests) consists of mango and sticky rice! However that is not all. The sticky rice is cooked as normal but then mixed with coconut cream, sugar and salt. Along with the rice and fruit, you get two sachets. One is filled with thick sweet cocunut cream to slather over the top of the rice and the other is filled with deep fried mung beans to sprinkle on top.

As I have already mentioned, this dessert is absolutely delicious! The mango was perfectly ripe so that when I bit into it the peice practically melted in my mouth and released a sweet, slightly sharp, fruity mango flavour. When the mango is combined with the rice, coconut cream and crunchy mung beans, it makes the most delicous flavour and texture combination. The coconut cream and rice are sweet and creamy which contrasts well with the slighty tart mango and the crunch of the mung beans.

I tried Mango and sticky rice in a few places whilst I was travelling around Thailand: Bangkok, Phi Phi, Phuket but as Namwaan said, the best place to get it is in Hua Hin. However if you go to Thailand even if you do not go to Hua Hin, I urge you to try it (but make sure it is the real deal, I had it in one place in bangkok where the rice wasnt sticky and neither of the accompaniments of coconut cream or mung beans came with it). Equally if it is offered in a Thai restaurant outside of Thailand give it a go and let me know what you think!

In conclusion, just delicious! But make sure you get the real deal!