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It is known as the fruit of love, the fruit of kings, the fruit of the gods, a "perfect vision" of the "perfect life"… The Mango. This glorious fruit has achieved all of its rapturous praise because it has a taste, a fragrance, and a versatility that is second to none. And Thailand is one of its premier places for glory.
Chachoengsao is one of Thailand's chosen provinces to cultivate mangos for marketing and export. It is located in the eastern region of Thailand, not far from the Thai Gulf, and only 82km from Bangkok.. The province's name might come from the Khmer language but the local people called it "Pad Rew". It is astonishing that the area of the province can grow better quality and tastier rice than other places in Thailand. Also, there many kinds of mango products.
I lived in Pad Rew for a while and I enjoyed many types of mangos. I was a bit surprised that the Thai traditional kind of mango, called "Ma Muang Og Rong", was less popular there. In general, Thai people use this kind of mango to make dessert and eat it together with Khao Niew Moon (sticky rice).
Ma Muang Og Rong is very sour when it is still raw and the peel is green, but when the peel's color turns yellow and is ripe, the taste becomes sweet and sour, and thrilling. This trend evidentally changed because for the past 20 years, another type, Ma Muang Nam Dok Mai (See Tong) became more popular and is primarily exported to Japan. This mango was developed for better quality: the size is larger, and the taste is very sweet with a touch of sour when it is ripe. Chiang Mai is also a province which exports Ma Muang Nam Dok Mai (See Tong) and other kinds of raw mango. After China and India, Thailand is the third largest exporter of mango.
In Asia, Mango grows best in a tropical climate such as Myanmar (Burma), which has one good-tasting mango called "Sengtalong". The continuous development of mango gives people the chance to eat mango throughout the year. But in the Southeast Asia, many people prefer to eat raw mangos to ripe mangos.
Another by-product is mango wood, from the tree. It has a rather unique grain and luster, and is shaped and carved into a range of beautiful ornaments, utensils and décor.
Along with its desirable fresh taste, mangos are prepared in many dishes—desserts and beverages such as Som Tam Ma Muang (Spicy mango salad), dried mango, fermented mango and mango juices. Khao Niew Ma Muang (sticky rice with ripe mango) is one of my favorite desserts. So here is my favorite...
How to make Khao Niew Ma Muang
Ingredients:
3 Ripe Mangoes (sliced or diced)
250 g Glutinous Rice, soaked overnight and drained
1½ Cups Coconut Milk
1½ tsp Sea Salt
½ Cup Sugar (I used ¼ Cup)
1 tsp Rice Flour
Toasted Mung Beans, optional
Method:
Put the glutinous rice in a steamer lined with a piece of thin linen cloth and steam for 30 minutes.
Blend rice flour in ¾ cup of the coconut milk. Cook over a low heat. Stirring constantly (do not let it boil) till thickens. Remove from the heat and reserve.
Mix remaining coconut milk with sugar and salt. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Add in the coconut milk mixture into the cooked glutinous rice. Cover the rice mixture for 20 to 25 minutes before serving.
Arrange the mangos to one side of the plate, place the glutinous rice to another side and serve with the reserved coconut milk and some toasted mung beans, if desired.
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