Glutinous rice is also known as Khao niao in Thai, gao nep in Vietnamese, and mochi in Japanese. This is also known as sweet or sticky rice because of its texture when cooked. The broad, short grains are an opaque milky-white when raw and become translucent after cooking or steaming, just the opposite of other rice. Glutinous rice has to be soaked for at least 8 and up to 24 hours before being steamed. The cooked grains are tender, slightly sweet and chewy, but not gluey. It is the daily rice in Northeast Thailand, Laos, and parts of Vietnam and Cambodia, where it is squeezed into balls with the fingers and dipped in sauces or used as a scoop to pick up other foods. It is also used in making Asian sweets, snacks, and ceremonial foods, and often is steamed in lotus or banana leaves to make dumplings. Stuffing for dumplings range from braised chestnuts or spiced braised pork to Chinese sausage and dried shrimp, sweet azuki beans, or stewed preserved plums.

** Asian Recipes **