Thai appetizers always please guests to eat as finger foods along with drinks. My recipe for these tasty sticky rice snacks are sure to please all your guests.

Chicken Stuffed Sticky Rice Bites
(Khao Niao Sod Sai Gai)

This is a Thai style “dim-sum” or snack food. This type of dish is often served as a "drink food" or snack along with beer.

We love sticky rice, but it is a heavy meal and you want to nap afterward eating it. Sticky rice is very popular in Northern Thailand, and is served with not only with the popular dessert of fresh mangoes and coconut cream, but along with barbecued chicken, Chiang Mai Sausages or as an appetizer or snack as in this recipe of stuffed sticky rice.

Ingredients
14 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, finely chopped 1/4” pieces
1 egg
1 Tbs tapioca or rice flour
2 Tbs ground pepper
4 spring onions
cilantro finely diced
12 oz cooked sticky rice
fish sauce (nam pla-Golden Boy is a good brand)
sugar
leaf lettuce
tomatoes
fresh Thai chile peppers (phrik khee nu or Phrik chee fa)
pineapple for serving

Preparation:
In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, egg, tapioca or rice flour and all the seasonings together with the spring onions and cilantro. Shape this mixture into 1/2” balls like small meatballs.

Now take sticky rice and form a layer all around each little meat balls. Sit these on a tray to keep them separate.

These will be steamed in a steamer. I use a bamboo steamer placed over boiling water in my wok. Line the steamer with cabbage or chard leaves with a little peanut oil brushed over the leaf top surfaces to prevent sticking.

Place the rice covered meatballs on the leaves but do not allow them to touch each other as they will stick together.

Bring wok water to a boil, cover steamer and steam for 20-25 minutes over medium flame/heat.

Serve Khao Niao Sod Sai Gai whil still hot on a lettuce lined plate with a dipping sauce in the center. You can also serve carrotsticks, sweet red pepper slices, celery sticks, cabbage pieces, daikon chunks, and any other fresh raw vegetables that are in season. Arrange on the lettuce lined serving platter plate.

Serve dipping sauces such as

Nam Pla Phrik
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art32167.asp

or
Nam Phrik Jaew
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art47044.asp

or
Nam Phrik Pao
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art54107.asp