Thai Black Sticky Rice Pudding (kao niew dum)

A heart-warming and bowl-licking dessert! If you're looking for an easy Thai dessert that really represents what Thai sweets are all about, this black sticky rice pudding ข้าวเหนียวดำ is the one to make. It is one of my favourite Thai desserts, and one of the first I made after leaving Thailand because the flavours are so nostalgic.

It's also naturally gluten-free and vegan, so anyone can enjoy it.

If you are a fan of sticky rice, also check out my popular classic mango sticky rice recipe or try a fancier version of this black sticky rice recipe with this black sticky rice sundae with caramelized pineapple!

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

The Pudding

• Thai black glutinous rice, make sure it is a product of Thailand as there are many kinds of black rice which are not all the same.
• Thai white glutinous rice, also labeled as "Thai sweet rice" and this is the same rice we use to make sticky rice.
• Pandan leaf, optional. You can find them fresh or frozen at the Asian market.
• Taro root, cut in 1 cm cube. If you don't like taro roots, you can substitute with corn kernels or just omit it.
• Young coconut meat, cut into short strips, optional. You can buy this in cans at Asian stores that sell a lot of Southeast Asian products.
• Finely chopped palm sugar. You can substitute with the same amount of light brown sugar or granulated sugar
• Salt
• Sweet corn kernels, optional

Coconut Sauce

• Coconut milk, see my post for how to choose good coconut milk
• Rice flour, or corn starch.
• Salt

How to Make Black Sticky Rice Pudding

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

1. Soak both types of rice together in room temperature water for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. If using taro, put the cubed taro in a small pot of cold water and ¼ teaspoon of salt, bring it to a boil and let it cook for 5-7 minutes until it fully cooks and is fork tender. Drain and set aside. You can cook these in advance for up to a few days.
3. Drain off the soaking water and add the rice to a small pot.
4. Add 2 cups of fresh water to the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and let cook for 25-30 minutes or until the rice is fully done, stirring constantly after the mixture has become thick, after about 15 minutes. If you don't stir the rice will stick to the bottom and scorch.
5. After 25-30 minutes, check doneness by tasting, it should still be chewy but no crunchy in the center.
6. Add the palm sugar and salt and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the taro, young coconut meat, corn kernels, or any other add-ins you want.

For the Coconut Sauce

1. Dissolve the rice flour in a little bit of water and stir until there are no more clumps. Add this slurry to the ½ cup of coconut milk, and bring the mixture to a boil in a small pot, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. The mixture should be thickened, and will continue to thicken after cooling.
2. To serve, spoon the rice into a little bowl or cocktail glass, spoon the coconut sauce over the rice and garnish with some sweet corn kernels, if desired. Some people like to stir the sauce into the pudding before eating, others like to keep it a little separate, so do whatever you like!

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