• Rinse the sticky rice with tap water and use your hand to gently stir it. Drain the water to remove the excess starch. Repeat once, then add water to cover. Soak the sticky rice for a minimum of 2 hours, up to 8 hours. Rinse again and drain the water.
• Transfer the rice to a heatproof bowl, add about 2 inches of water to your steamer (not into the rice), place the heatproof rice bowl on the steaming rack in the steamer, and cover the steamer. Turn to medium-high heat to bring the water to a boil. When the steam starts to come out of the pot, turn to medium heat. Steam for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked through, with no hard raw bits in the middle. Or use a steamer rack lined with cheesecloth. Spread rice evenly over cloth and steam as directed above.
• While rice is steaming, add can of coconut milk, 1/4 cup + 2 T of sugar, and salt to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is hot and the sugar is melted. Do not bring the coconut sauce to a boil. Taste for sweetness, if it needs more sugar, add another 1-2 tablespoons. Remove 1-1/4 cups sauce to be used with the rice.
• Carefully remove the sticky rice bowl from the steamer with your oven mitts on. Pour the 1-1/4 cups of sauce over the bowl of rice. Stir to mix well. Allow to stand covered for 20 minutes. Remove cover and stir the rice again. Allow mixture to sit another few minutes.
• For the remaining sauce, combine the cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl. Stir to completely dissolve the cornstarch. Over medium-low heat, remaining sauce to a small saucepan. Add half of the slurry to the sauce. Stir immediately to thicken the sauce. You can adjust the thickness of the sauce by slowly adding a bit more water or cornstarch slurry, if needed. The sauce shouldn’t be too thick, but should coat the back of a spoon.
• Serve when the rice mixture and the sauce cool to room temperature. You can serve it or store the extra sauce and the sauce-rice mixture separately in the fridge until ready to serve, up to 3 days. The sauce will further thicken when cooled.
• To serve, transfer the coconut rice into serving bowls or plates. Place the sliced mango on the side. Pour a few spoonfuls of the extra coconut sauce on top of the rice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and fresh sliced strawberries if desired.

Notes

• If you use refrigerated sticky rice, you can gently heat it in the microwave to bring it to room temperature before serving, for a better texture. However, it’s highly recommended to serve the rice when it’s fresh, for best results. Do not freeze the sticky rice, as it will create a very tough texture.
• Use a small ramekin to mold sticky rice and place on the plate.