Black Rice Pudding with Mangoes and Thai Iced Tea

Okay, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but Thai iced tea is really not good for you. It's got artificial colors in it. And if you drink it the way they do in Thailand, you mix it with sweetened condensed milk and drink it over ice. The north American version is slightly better, you have it with half and half, or whole milk. But don't by any means think this drink is good for you, or that you should have it every day. I have it a few times a year, when we make fancy Thai meal.
end disclaimer.

Thai Iced Tea


For Thai Iced tea:

Thai iced tea mix


sweetened condensed milk

Brew the tea in boiling water for at least 10 minutes to get really strong flavor. Pour it through a fine mesh strainer to remove all of the leaves. Let it cool and then set it in the fridge to chill. Serve over ice with sweetened condensed milk to taste, stir together and drink. If you want to use cream instead it's fun to pour it in on top of the tea and let it sit in layers until your guests stir it together. The Thai iced tea you get in restaurants is usually 1/3 cream.

For an appetizer:

shrimp crackers



These little crackers are raw and you have to fry them yourself in oil before serving. Their puffy and have a nice texture, and again shouldn't be eaten all the time, just on special occasions.

For dessert: Black Rice pudding with mango

purple sticky rice/ or black glutinous rice


fresh ginger

palm or brown sugar


coconut milk 240mL


coconut cream 120mL


diced mango

Preparation:

Rinse and drain the rice. Put 1 cup rice in a heavy saucepan with 2 1/2 cups of water and 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger. Bring to a boil. Cover, and lower the heat simmer for about 40 minutes, or until the rice is soft.

Stir in 3/4 cup of palm sugar, or brown sugar if you can't find palm sugar, and 1 cup of coconut milk. Simmer another 10 minutes. Cool to room temp and serve with diced mango and a drizzle of coconut cream over the top. Serves 4 unless you're like me and use tiny bowls.

This concludes the menu for Thai Turkey dinner. Our own favorite family turkey dinner. I hope you enjoy it.