Sunday, April 02, 2006

Quest for Mango with Sweet Sticky Rice


This afternoon I ventured a few blocks down the street to Thai Town for the Songkran (Thai New Year) Festival. Looking for a snack, I spotted this sign. Who can argue with One of the best taste in L.A.? I jumped in the long line.


Everyone ahead of me seemed to order 4-5 servings of rice and mangos. Then this woman in the fancy dress jumped the line and got her 10 servings. Note to self: dress nicer next time.


Soon I was close enough to see the big bowl of sticky rice, scooped out by the plastic-bag covered handful.


The women behind the counter had a system for filling 4 containers at once, and I had ample time to admire their mango peeling and cutting technique. Using the same knife for the entire process, they'd quickly peel one side, in long, length-wise strips. Then one flat cut, again lengthwise, close to the pit. Next, chop-chop-chop-chop-chop, five quick cuts across the width, slide the slices into the styrofoam. Flip, and same process on the other side.



Finally, my turn. I'd never had sweet sticky rice before and was wary, as I'm not a fan of rice pudding. No need to worry, this was fantastic, as was the perfectly ripe mango. I have not been able to figure out what the crunchy bits are, but they provided a nice foil for the glutinous rice. Anyone knows what they are, leave a comment, please!

For more Songkran Festival pictures, visit: Thai Festival on Flickr



9 comments:

Anonymous said...

that's one of my favouritest Thai things to eat. I remember having it for the first time in bangkok while on my trip around Southeast Asia years ago. goodness, the taste was so amazing.

Erin S. said...

Mumu, I hope to someday eat this spectacular treat on the streets of Bangkok someday instead of Hollywood. It is now one of my favs too!

Anonymous said...

Such fun - great pics too! I'm yearning to travel to Thailand but may have to make a trip to Hollywood in the near term ....

Erin S. said...

aha...thanks for the tip jackt. Good to know the inside rules...though I certainly didn't mind waiting in line once I tasted my mango :)

Oishii Eats said...

Those are thangs are mung beans. http://www.geocities.com/emaildaneng/mungbeans.html

Guide to Bangkok Hotels said...

I agree with you, this is one of my favouritest Thai things to eat.

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