Last night I made some Thai black sticky rice pudding.  One of my fellow interns at the SF Chronicle was testing a recipe for this on a day I wasn’t scheduled to be in, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

When I was at 99 Ranch Market yesterday, bags of black glutinous rice were giving me the eye.  I grabbed one, headed home and threw a few cups in to soak.

You should check this dish out.

For a basic version you’ll generally need only black glutinous (AKA “sweet” or “sticky”) rice, coconut milk, sugar and salt.  Black sesame seeds for topping, if you like.  The result will be sweet, nutty, creamy and a whisper salty.

The steamed black rice will have a deep purple color. Don’t wear a white shirt while working with it.

Here’s a good basic recipe, and you can adjust the sugar, coconut milk and salt as desired after you try it as-is once.

Don’t leave out the salt, though, because it serves as a counterpoint to the sweet element. Its absence will be conspicuous.

Here’s the one from the SF Chronicle that I missed that day.