Unlike the rest of the world, the main rice in Laos and the Thai region of Issan is Sticky / Sweet Rice - but not the short grain sweet rice known in the rest of the world. It must be Thai Long Grain Sweet Rice.
This rice is soaked for a length of time depending on its harvest date, which, in North America, will be 8 hours or overnight. It is then wrapped in cheesecloth and placed in a steamer basket with a lid over it, as in the photo. The steamer pot and basket rig is available on-line for about 2022 US $39.
For more detail on the cooking method, see our Buying, Storing & Cooking Rice page.
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