It’s time for Thai! More than 5,300 Thai restaurants are open throughout the United States.
Each restaurant offers its own spin on Thai cuisine. But many of them share one thing in common: they offer a range of Thai desserts. Before you pick up the phone and order take-out, you should familiarize yourself with the Thai dessert.
What are the most popular Thai desserts? What varieties of these desserts can you find? What ingredients do these desserts contain?
Answer these questions and you can get a full sense of Thai food. Here is your quick guide.
Mango Sticky Rice
Ask someone about traditional Thai desserts, and they’ll talk to you about mango sticky rice. Thai dessert recipes vary from restaurant to restaurant, but most forms of mango sticky rice use glutinous rice that can absorb coconut milk and sugar.
The rice and milk are prepared separately, then combined. The chef then places mango slices on top of the rice and drizzles any remaining coconut milk over the mango slices.
The dish is sweet without being too overpowering. Mango slices are one of many fresh ingredients in authentic dishes in Thai cuisine, and some restaurants do not offer mango sticky rice if the mangoes are not in season.
Black Sticky Rice Pudding
Sticky rice is the basis for other authentic Thai desserts. Black sticky rice pudding relies on black rice, which has a nuttier flavor than glutinous rice. But black rice also absorbs water, coconut milk, and other liquids, making it good to cook with.
A chef cooks the rice first and then places it inside pandan or banana leaves. These leaves impart sweet and grassy flavors. They then mix the rice with sugar and cook it until a thick and creamy pudding forms.
You can eat the pudding without any other ingredients. Some chefs add coconut flakes, mango, and coconut cream to their pudding. Take a look at the dessert menu of your Thai restaurant so you know what ingredients are in the dish.
Ice Cream
You may find a few different ice cream flavors at Thai restaurants. Coconut ice cream is the most popular flavor, and you can put several toppings on it. Many people like their ice cream with peanuts or sweet corn, and some people even eat theirs inside a scraped-out coconut.
You can also find mango, lychee, and vanilla ice cream. Thai chefs created stir-fried ice cream, which is rolls of ice cream instead of scoops. This lets you place rolls inside containers easily and stack toppings over them.
Your Essential Thai Dessert Options
A Thai dessert can mean a few different things. Mango sticky rice is a light and sweet dessert with plenty of fresh fruit and coconut cream.
If you prefer a pudding, you can get a black sticky rice pudding. Black rice can have a nuttier flavor than other forms of rice, so it’s a good way to end a light meal. If you want a small dessert, you can order a scoop of coconut ice cream. Thai food is right at your fingertips. Thai Ginger serves the Seattle area. Browse our menu today.