Thai Banana in Sticky Rice (Khao Tom Madt)

I love sticky rice and it always tastes heavenly to me. I came across this recipe in 

ImportFood Authentic Thai Recipes. It was pretty straightforward and very easy to make. I tried this in April 2013 before going on a visit to Singapore to my brother's place. And sure enough I did pick up some authentic Thai ingredients from there such as sticky rice, Pandan essence, etc.!

Serves 10

Ingredients

• 2 cups sticky rice
• 1 ½ cups coconut milk (I used 2 cups)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 ripe bananas (small variety), halved lengthwise
• 10 pieces aluminum foil or banana leaf, 6 x 6 inches. See note below.

Preparation

• Soak the sticky rice in water overnight, then drain and set aside.
• Combine coconut milk, sugar and salt in a separate bowl and stir until ingredients are dissolved. Put this mixture in a large pan or wok and then add the rice. Over medium low heat, stir constantly until the rice becomes tender and all the coconut milk is absorbed (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat and leave to cool.
• On a piece of foil, place a tablespoon of rice. Place a sliced banana on top of the rice and then cover it with another tablespoon of rice to form a small "roll" with the banana in the middle.
• Wrap the foil and then place in a steamer. Steam for 45 minutes with the lid on. Remove and enjoy hot or warm.

Note

I did not have aluminium foil or banana leaf and used the leaf of Pisonia alba tree (known as Lachakottai tree லச்சக்கொட்ட in Tamil) and also known commonly as the lettuce tree. The leaf is braod and is at least 20 cms in length and since it is edible and is cooked as greens, it made a perfect wrap for my dessert.

Pisonia alba tree - Lachakotta