Mango Sticky Rice

Khao niao mamuang is glutinous rice steamed and then soaked while warm in coconut cream with sugar and salt so it absorbs it, served with ripe mango and a spoonful of thicker salted coconut cream over the top, often with toasted mung beans or crisped rice for texture. The salt is not incidental - the dish works on the contrast between sweet fruit, sweet rice and a distinctly salty cream, and versions that leave it out are flat. The mango matters most. Nam dok mai is the standard variety, yellow and perfumed, and it is in season from around March into June; outside those months the fruit is imported, cold-stored or from a lesser variety, and the dish is noticeably worse, which is why Thai people largely eat it in season. It is sold from street carts, market stalls and dessert shops everywhere, and the price varies enormously between a cart and a Bangkok specialist.

What you actually see

• The salted cream - the salt-sweet contrast the dish depends on.
• The nam dok mai mango - the standard variety, in season March to June.
• The soaked rice - glutinous rice absorbing sweetened coconut while warm.
• The toppings - toasted mung beans or crisped rice for texture.

When to go

March to June, when mangoes are in season - outside that the fruit is imported or stored and the dish is much worse. Sold everywhere, from carts to specialist shops.

Honest expectations

Out of season it is made with poor fruit and is not worth ordering. Prices range widely for what looks like the same plate. It is very sweet and the portion is heavier than it looks.

Nearby

Sold nationwide; Bangkok's Sukhumvit 38 and Thonglor hold well-known specialists.