"When I grew up it was very simple, just sticky rice salt and sugar. When we fled the country, we ended up in Thailand, we had some like access to some coconut. So then people started putting some coconut to make it more creamier. So yeah! So over time there's been more, added to. Coconut shredded has been added to, and coconut milk has been added to. The banana has always been there."
Ingredients
Listen for Burmese:
- Thai soft sticky rice
- Water
- Coconut milk
- Shredded coconut
- Sugar
- Salt
- Thai baby bananas
- Banana leaves
Instructions
1. Soak the rice overnight. Drain the water before mixing the rice with the coconut milk. "We soak the rice so it softens."
2. Drain the rice. Then add rice, coconut milk, sugar, and salt to a pot.
3. Place the pot on a low fire so that the rice absorbs the coconut milk. "Keep stirring the rice constantly, do not leave it not even for a minute."
4. Peel the Thai baby bananas and cut them in half.
5. Cut the banana leaves to the right size. "Big enough to put the stuff in it, and to wrap it around." Wipe the extra moisture off the banana leaf with a cloth.
6. Add the rice to the banana leaf, place the baby banana in the middle and cover it with more rice. Sprinkle shredded coconut on top if desired.
7. Wrap the banana leaf so it covers the rice filling completely.
8. Steam the wrapped banana leaves until they are cooked. Use a strainer on the bottom of the pot so steam can circulate easily. "Let it steam for one hour....It must look like this, very soft."
