Black Glutinous Rice (Kao Niow Dahm)

Black glutinous rice (Kao Niow Dahm) – also known as black sticky rice is a staple ingredients in South East Asia´s cuisine, used in several countries in a few closely linked sweet dishes. One of the highlights of breakfast in SEA is black glutinous rice infused with pandan leaves and garnished with coconut milk and fresh fruit, in a Malaysian and Indonesian style. This super delicious dish is called Bubur Pulut Hitam.

Black glutinous rice is a natural rice with grains that are unevenly colored and that look like wild rice when dry. Its rich, nutty flavor is distinctly different from the more subtle delicateness of white glutinous rice. Black rice is not the whole-grain version of white sticky rice as some may think, and unlike wild rice, it is fairly easy to cultivate. This is reflected in its reasonable price.

The black rice grains themselves are beautiful to look at, interchangeably dark brown, purple and black, and have a gorgeous texture when soaked and then cooked quickly. It will take some time to cook the Rice until it is “al dente” or even longer until it is soft. It is recommended to soak the rice for some hours or even over night until you cook it. You will save time and energy when cooking.

The individual grains maintain their integrity, remain a bit al dente but are simultaneously starchy and soft. Despite the misleading name, they contain no gluten, nor does any so-called ‘glutinous rice’. So if you can´t eat gluten you can eat any dish with black sticky rice without any fear.

Our favorite recipe with black sticky rice is Coconut Black Sticky Rice Pudding.

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