Destination
Koh Samui
The story
Khao niao ping is Isaan's grilled sticky rice snack — a small parcel of sticky rice cooked with coconut milk and palm sugar (sometimes with a filling of banana, taro or black beans inside), wrapped tightly in a piece of banana leaf, and grilled over charcoal until the leaf blackens and the rice inside caramelises with a specific sweet-smoky flavour. Sold at Isaan roadside stalls and Bangkok Isaan-migrant food carts, especially in the mornings. Eaten with fingers straight from the leaf. Some versions are savoury (with dried shrimp filling), some are sweet — the banana-and-black-bean version is the most-loved.
Method
Steam soaked sticky rice in a bamboo basket lined with cloth for 25 minutes.
In a saucepan, warm coconut milk, palm sugar, salt and pandan until sugar dissolves. Pour over hot steamed rice. Stir to combine. Rest 20 minutes.
Pass banana leaves briefly over a gas flame or hot pan to soften.
Lay a banana leaf shiny-side up. Spread 3 tbsp of the dressed sticky rice in a 10cm rectangle. Place a piece of banana (or a spoon of black beans or taro) in the middle. Top with more rice to cover the filling.
Fold the sides of the leaf up over the rice, then fold the ends to make a tight parcel. Secure with string or toothpicks.
Heat charcoal grill to medium.
Grill parcels 5 minutes per side, turning, until the banana leaf is blackened in patches and the rice inside is caramelised and hot.
Serve parcels warm. Diners unwrap and eat the sticky rice with fingers. Drizzle with warm coconut cream and toasted sesame if you like.
Tips
- Overnight soak the rice. Non-negotiable.
- Banana leaves are the flavour marker. Passing them over a flame first releases the aroma.
- Medium heat grill. High heat burns the leaf before the inside heats through.
- Serve warm. Cold khao niao ping loses its charm.
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