You may be wondering what I was planning on doing with that enormous 20-pound jackfruit I found at the market last week. As I hefted him into the house and rested him on my patio chair, I was wondering the same thing...
My initial plan was to try to make dtam kanun (ตำขนุน), a salad of sorts made of pounded and pan fried jackfruit, chilis, and herbs. It's a dish that the boyfriend has told me about, but I've never tried to make myself. After doing a little research, though, I quickly discovered that you are actually supposed to use young unripe jackfruit for this dish, not the extremely ripe fruit I had hanging out on my patio.
So I decided to change plans and do something sweet - a Thai dessert. And what Thai dessert is better than fresh fruit with coconut sticky rice?
After removing the jackfruit pods from their sticky cocoons, I cut them in half lengthwise to make little serving platters for the sticky rice. Then I filled each pod with sticky rice, spooned an extra dollop of coconut cream on top, and garnished them with freshly fried mung beans. And they were delightful! Slightly more pungent than mango sticky rice, but delightful none the less.
Of course, making these cute little jackfruit sticky rice desserts didn't require all 20 pounds of my jackfruit. The rest of it is in the freezer, waiting patiently to be made into some custards, pies, or other yummy Thai desserts...
Recipe
Jackfruit Sticky Rice| Khao Niew Kanun | ข้าวเหนียวขนุน
Ingredients
Sticky Rice:
- ½ cup uncooked Thai sticky rice
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ~6-10 pods ripe jackfruit
Fried Mung Beans:
- ¼ cup mung beans
- ½ cup canola oil
- pinch of salt
Instructions
To Make the Sticky Rice:
- Soak the sticky rice in water overnight.
- When you're ready to assemble the dessert, steam the soaked sticky rice until the grains are soft and translucent (~40 minutes) in a Thai sticky rice steamer.
- While the rice is steaming, mix the coconut milk, salt, and sugar over medium heat until the mixture is smooth. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of this sauce for later.
- Once the rice is done, add it to the coconut milk sauce. The rice will soak up the sauce as it cools, so add it in small sections and wait for it to absorb the liquid before adding more. You may not need to use all of the rice to achieve the right texture.
To Make the Fried Mung Beans:
- Soak the mung beans in water overnight.
- Remove the green shell and separate the mung beans into their halves. Dry on a paper towel.
- Fry the shelled, dried mung beans in oil over medium heat. Remove as soon as they are golden brown, drain on a paper towel, and salt to taste.
To Assemble:
- Slice the fresh jackfruit pods in half lengthwise. Place a spoonful of the sticky rice inside.
- Drizzle some of the reserved coconut sauce on top and garnish with the fried mung beans. Enjoy!
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