Khao Niew Khao - Thai White Sticky Rice

This rice is distinctly different from other glutinous rices and why when making certain dishes it matters.

Glutinous (as in sticky) rice is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia with opaque grains, very low amylose content, and an especially sticky texture when cooked.

Thai glutinous rice has almost no amylose content — just 0–2%. The higher the amylose content in a rice, the harder and less sticky the texture. Because Thai glutinous rice has virtually none, the cooked kernels are sticky and adhere together. Regular long-grain jasmine rice, by contrast, is 12–18% amylose, which is why it cooks up softer and slightly stickier than basmati, but still fluffy and separate compared to glutinous rice.

Mochigome is a short-grain Japonica rice cultivar. Similar to Thai glutinous rice except that it performs differently when cooked. It clings together and the grains are not as independent compared to others.

Thai glutinous rice, by contrast, retains individual grain identity even when fully cooked — the grains cling together but remain distinct, giving it that characteristic chew. Sticky rice varieties from Laos and Northern Thailand tend to have a longer grain and a more floral scent than Japanese sticky rice — which is short-grain and less aromatic.

Thai sticky rice is the staple food in the drought-prone Northeast of Thailand because it can grow without flooding the field, unlike jasmine rice.

Made in Thailand