The Vegan Basics

4 Minute Thai Sticky Rice in a Pressure Cooker





When Thai Sticky Rice is made perfectly, it can be pulled off and dipped into the soup to soak up that flavorful elixir in the bowl without sticking to your fingers. In the past I've simply added the Thai sticky rice to my automatic rice cooker with equal parts of water and let the rice steam. But I never achieved that chewy texture like the restaurant and it was STICKY.



Thanks to my favorite bamboo steamer basket and my Fissler Vitaquick Pressure Cooker, and the knowledge that Thai Sticky RICE must be PRE-SOAKED, I started experimenting!



I L-O-V-E that wonderful Thai Sticky Rice that my favorite Thai Restaurant, Pok Pok, in Portland OR, makes to go with their Vegan Khao Soi. It is a Northern Thai mild curry noodle soup with their "secret" curry paste and house-pressed fresh coconut milk. If you ever come to Portland, Oregon, you'll want to make sure you try their Khao Soi Vegan. But I digress, so let's continue with this recipe!



Pre-Soak the Thai Sticky Rice

With further research, I realized that Thai chefs pre-soak the sticky rice for 12 hours before draining and steaming the rice. So if you want true Thai Sticky Rice, you'll have to put it to soaking at breakfast so you can cook it at dinner time.



Where to Buy Thai Sticky Rice

More and more stores are beginning to sell Thai Sticky Rice, but the best place is to find a local Asian market in your area for the freshest and best prices. Don't be overwhelmed by all the different rices that you'll find. Try purchasing a few of the dark "forbidden" rices in small bags and experiment with them. Asian markets have a plethora of rice and noodle choices that you won't find in traditional markets. And because the prices are so low, it won't break the bank to buy two or three different brands of Thai Sticky Rice or other rices that you may not have prepared before.



Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Thai Sticky Rice

filtered alkaline water

pinch of sea salt



Tools

Fissler Vitaquick Pressure Cooker

bamboo round steamer basket with lid

parchment paper

measuring cup

metal steamer basket

kitchen timer or iPhone

scissors

strainer



Preparation

The Thai Sticky Rice Soak

Soak two cups Thai Sticky Rice in filtered alkaline water.





The Bamboo Steamer Basket

Cut a piece of parchment paper a little larger than the bamboo basket size.



Fold the parchment piece into square and then again forming a triangle.



With scissors, trim the uneven ends in a semi-circle and unfold your circle of parchment paper.





Press the parchment paper into the bottom of the bamboo basket and set aside.







The Thai Sticky Rice Rinse

Pour the pre-soaked Thai Sticky Rice into a large strainer and rinse liberally with fresh cold water.







Pour the drained rice into the parchment paper lined bamboo steamer basket.



The Fissler Vitaquick Pressure Cooker

Add two cups of filtered alkaline water into the Fissler Vitaquick, and place a metal steamer basket in the bottom to elevate the bamboo basket.













The Fissler Vitaquick is conical in shape and you don't want to shove the bamboo steamer basket down to far or you won't be able to remove it after cooking. The metal steamer basket is just the right height for my bamboo basket to sit on top perfectly with the bamboo basket lid over it.





Seal the Fissler Vitaquick lid in place and cook over medium-high heat till 2-rings appear.



Reduce the heat to keep the two rings showing, set and start your timer for 4-minutes of cook time.



When the timer sounds, do a quick release by releasing the steam with the handle button or place the Fissler Vitaquick in the sink and run cold water over the top till the pressure releases and the button goes down.



That's it! Yes, the Thai Sticky Rice is perfectly cooked and ready to serve immediately. It's exactly like your favorite Thai Restaurant... it's the pre-soaking and the bamboo that gives it that special flavor and chewy texture.









I like to put the lid back on the Fissler Vitaquick and finish my other recipe items so that everything is hot and ready at the same time. The heat from the Fissler and the hot water at the bottom keep it perfectly for about 20 minutes.



The longest part of Thai Sticky Rice preparation is the SOAKING TIME! You've got to do start this at breakfast so it's ready to cook in your Fissler Vitaquick Pressure Cooker at dinner time!





The Importance of a Bamboo Steamer Basket

The Bamboo Steamer Basket is imperative for the full flavor development of the Thai Sticky Rice. The good news is that these baskets are inexpensive! I've listed a smaller version that fits the Fissler Vitaquick, 6-Quart size perfectly.



BUY the Progressive International 6.75 Inch Bamboo Steamer Baskets The Traditional Thai Sticky Rice Steamer Pot and Basket

This is a Traditional Thai Sticky Rice Steamer. I bought this in Hawaii when I had a giant kitchen with lots of storage. But I didn't bring it with me to the Mainland. It takes up a lot of space and I never liked the cooking method. I usually ended up making my Thai Sticky Rice in a rice cooker. But the Fissler Vitaquick Pressure Cooker knocks this traditional method right off my list! I'm into FAST and EASY! But if you want the traditional, here's where you can buy this unit:





BUY the Traditional Sticky Rice Steamer Pot and Basket



