Article updated on December 28, 2024
Text & photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen

Battambang, Cambodia’s second-largest city with a thriving agriculture, is an authentic destination that is ideal to dig into the traditional crafts of the country. Join us as we take you through a series of seven short articles, each uncovering the secrets of one of these crafts.

Sticky rice is the heart of Lao cuisine, a staple also found in neighboring countries like Thailand and Cambodia. There, it is often served as a dessert—such as the popular mango sticky rice—or enjoyed as a sweet snack, known as bamboo sticky rice.

Preparing this flavorful and self-contained snack takes time and patience. It begins with sticky rice being steamed overnight to achieve its signature sticky, glue-like texture. This rice has the ability to absorb flavors and hold its form, making it the perfect base for a variety of dishes. For bamboo sticky rice, the steamed rice is then mixed with ten percent soybeans and ten percent fresh coconut milk, creating a rich, fragrant blend. This mixture is stuffed into hollow bamboo tubes sealed by a banana leaf, a process that preserves both the flavor and moisture of the rice during cooking. Once packed into the bamboo, the tubes are placed over an open fire for one to two hours, where the heat gently softens the soybeans and allows the coconut milk to infuse the rice with a rich, delicate sweetness.

The use of bamboo for cooking is a long-standing tradition in Southeast Asia. In rural villages, it is common to see bamboo being utilized in a variety of cooking methods, from steaming fish to making rice. This natural cooking dish is not only eco-friendly but also adds a distinctive flavor.

Once the rice has cooled, the bamboo is peeled away like a banana skin, revealing the sticky rice inside—remarkably free of plastic, a rarity in modern-day Southeast Asia! The bamboo peel is often used as a makeshift spoon, allowing to scoop out the last bit of rice without leaving a trace of waste behind.

This centuries-old snack is easily found all over Thailand, Laos or Cambodia from markets to transport hubs, and is the perfect take-away made with simple ingredients and natural materials.

 Travel tips:

• To make the most of your visit, we strongly recommend you to take a local guide as most craft-people do not speak English and are actually working hard to make a living, so they should not be disturbed. The local guide knows the usage and will tip appropriately.
• Check out this interactive map for the specific details to help you plan your trip and for more articles and photos (zoom out) about the area!
  

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