The White Ice Sundae

It’s very hot in Bangkok, where Kim Ragasa grew up, so after every meal the family would have a cool dessert. Most often, it was the icy treat that she now serves at her restaurant, Grandma’s Thai Kitchen in Sherman Oaks.

The treat is a Thai-style ice cream sundae that starts with a layer of warm, sweetened sticky rice. On top goes a scoop of coconut ice cream, and this is sprinkled with roasted peanuts.

Ragasa was determined to use the same sort of fresh-tasting coconut ice cream here that she enjoyed in Thailand. Her search yielded one brand with the right flavor (see Good to Go, H10). This ice cream is so light and delicate that it is worth seeking out. However, regular coconut ice cream or gelato could be substituted.

Preparing the rice is time-consuming but simple. The rice soaks for several hours, then it steams and is combined with sweetened coconut milk.

Ragasa has figured out a way to do this in advance so that the dessert can be served without any last-minute work. This is essential in a restaurant, and convenient for entertaining at home. The trick is to spoon portions of the prepared rice into small plastic food bags, press the bags flat and stack them in the refrigerator. This can be done up to four days in advance. At serving time, Ragasa reheats a bag in the microwave, scoops the rice into bowls and adds the ice cream and nuts.

To get the freshest flavor, Ragasa roasts raw peanuts for the topping. In Thailand, the dessert is sometimes topped with sliced fresh jackfruit as well as nuts, she says. Here, canned jackfruit can be substituted.

An old Thai tradition is to soak rice with coconut milk and fresh jasmine petals. This adds a delightful, delicate scent.

Because jasmine flowers aren’t available in markets here, Ragasa has not served this variation.

Her ice cream dessert has turned out to be very popular with restaurant customers, but Ragasa confesses she had a personal motive for introducing it. “I missed it,” she said.

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GRANDMA’S THAI KITCHEN COCONUT ICE CREAM SUNDAE

2 cups sweet (glutinous) rice

1 1/4 cups coconut milk

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/3 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 quarts coconut ice cream

1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

Place rice in bowl and cover with water. Stir with hands to locate and remove any discolored grains. Drain off water. Cover with fresh water and soak at least 3 hours, or as long as overnight.

Bring more water to boil in steamer base, then reduce heat to bring water to slow, not brisk, boil.

Drain rice and place directly in steamer tray. Set tray over boiling water, cover pot and steam rice 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir coconut milk in can to blend top layer of cream with milk below. Measure 1 1/4 cups into saucepan. Add sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring often to prevent burning. When sugar is dissolved, remove pan from heat.

Move steamed rice to bowl. If necessary, reheat coconut milk mixture until hot. Gradually add enough coconut milk mixture to make rice moist, about 1 3/4 cups. Cover rice and let stand 15 minutes, then uncover and stir.

To serve at once, spoon some of rice into individual dessert bowls, top with 1 scoop coconut ice cream and sprinkle ice cream with peanuts.

To store coconut rice for future use, divide rice among several small plastic food bags. Flatten each to even rectangle. Store in refrigerator up to 4 days. When ready to serve, microwave each bag on high 45 seconds to 1 minute, then spoon rice into bowls and top with ice cream and nuts.

12 servings. Each serving: 418 calories, 126 mg sodium, 30 mg cholesterol, 15 grams fat, 65 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams protein, 0.92 grams fiber.