Khao Jee Grilled Sticky Rice Patties with Eggs

Khao Jee grilled sticky rice patties with eggs are a delicious Thai and Lao dish made of sticky rice patties. The dish is easy to prepare and can be enjoyed as a snack or an appetizer. It's a perfect recipe to make using your leftover sticky rice. 

I grew up remembering Khao Jee as a fun and simple snack food prepared by my uncle and then grilled on charcoal on our earthen stove. Though not the same, they have the same sentiment as grilled corn on the cobs for my American kiddos. 

For more grilled Thai food, check out this Thai grilled garlic shrimp, the popular Moo Ping recipe, Chicken Satay, and Bacon-wrapped Enoki mushrooms. They are the perfect summer food to try out this summer! 

Jump to:

• Thai rice recipes
• What is Khao Jee?
• Why you'll love Khao Jee
• History of Khao Jee and sticky rice
• The main Ingredients for making Khao Jee
• How to make Khao Jee
• Serving Suggestions and Ideas
• Helpful Kitchen Tips
• Where to buy sticky rice
• Ideas for using your grilled Khao Jee
• Kao Jee variations
• Cooking method variations
• Helpful tools for making Sticky rice patties
• How to store leftovers Khao Jee
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Thai food you'll love
• Khao Jee Grilled Sticky Rice Patties with Eggs
• Related Recipes
• Pairing

Thai rice recipes

For more stick rice recipes, use my Thai sticky rice recipe using a steamer basket, how to make purple sticky rice, and how to make sticky rice without a bamboo basket steamer. Be sure to make this delicious Thai coconut sticky rice mango dessert with all your sticky rice next! They are all made with the same rice used in this Khao Jee recipe and are delicious!

Learn more about the different types of Thai rice and how to use them in this blog post here.

What is Khao Jee?

Khao jee is a delicious insider snack food in Thai and Laos households. Khao Jee is made from cooked sticky rice. Turn them into round patties, then grill them low until they are lightly crispy on the outside while the sticky rice is soft and tender.

Think-simplified Mochi cakes (delicious Japanese cakes made from sticky rice flour)  grilled to golden perfection and seasoned with egg wash, seasoning sauce, and salt. 

You cannot easily order Khao Jee from street vendors in Thailand. You'd have to be invited to a local's home to have some. They are so simple that oftentimes, they are not considered to be a food you'd want to serve or impress your guests. 

Why you'll love Khao Jee

• Hello, simple recipe! It's ridiculously easy. You might even wonder where the rest of the ingredients are! (: (Check below for the ingredient list with photos)
• It's a great snack, and it's gluten-free! Use these patties as your starter before serving your main course.
• Khao Jee keeps well as a snack at room temperature! That's right. See the note below for storage tips.
• It's mild and not spicy at all. However, you can mix the flavors with spicy dipping sauces for added heat!
• It's adaptable! Make it as simple as you'd like with sticky rice and salt, or use the full recipe with eggs like this one. Make it work for your dietary need and preference!

History of Khao Jee and sticky rice

Khoa Jee is made from sticky rice, a popular rice in Southeast Asia. In Thailand's Isaan regions (Northeastern) and Northern Thailand, sticky rice is a staple food rather than Jasmine rice. (Southern and Central Thailand tends to prefer Jasmine rice more.)

This deep love of sweet rice comes from the influence of Laotian culture, where sticky rice is considered a traditional food in Laotian cuisine. To this day, sticky rice is eaten throughout Thailand as a side dish or a popular snack that is eaten plain as sticky rice balls or is often served with the famous green papaya salad. 

When I visited Luang Prabang (the capital of Laos), and we visited a night market, I was delighted to see these sticky rice cakes sold in many street food stalls served freshly grilled on banana leaves! Though simple, they felt like a special treat that is now difficult to find outside of home kitchens. 

The main Ingredients for making Khao Jee

• Sticky rice. Use cooked sticky rice to make the patties.
• Eggs. Beat into a bowl like you would for making scrambled eggs.
• Seasoning sauce. Use Maggie seasoning sauce or Golden Mountain seasoning sauce. Find these in the Asian markets.
• Salt. Use any fine-grain table salt you have. 
• Ground white pepper. This is optional, but white pepper adds a wonderful smoky, peppery flavor.
• Vegetable oil for brushing on the patties on the grill. Just a small amount is needed.

How to make Khao Jee

Khao Jee recipe uses cooked sticky rice. Make your own sticky rice, and use this recipe-How to cook sticky rice in a bamboo steamer. Use a stock pot or any steamer for steaming the sticky rice. 

Make the sticky rice.

1. In a large bowl, rinse the (uncooked) glutinous rice thoroughly in cold water 3-4 times until the water is clear. Soak it in water for at least 4 hours. Use 3 cups of uncooked sticky rice

2. After 4 hours, drain the water from the rice and put it in cheesecloth, then place the rice inside a sticky rice pot with 4-6 cups of water. The water amount depends on how big your pot is.

3. Bring the rice to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked. 

5. Remove the pot from the heat and let the rice cool. Fluff the rice with a wooden spoon by stirring, lifting, and flipping the cooked rice to allow moisture to escape rice grains so they don't get too mushy.

Make the patties

6. Whisk the eggs, white pepper, and the seasoning sauce in a medium-sized bowl while the rice cooks. 

7. Once the rice has cooled down, grab a handful of rice and shape it into small patties with your hands. Place the rice patties in a sheet pan, brush each side lightly with oil, and sprinkle some salt on. (See kitchen notes below for tips on how to shape the rice!)

9. Turn the grill to low, place the sticky rice patties on the grill, and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side or until light golden brown. Do not add the egg mixture yet. The rice must be grilled first to get the crispy outside on the patties.

Egg-washed the patties-2 ways

10. There are two ways to egg-washed the patties. One, dip each patty into the egg mixture until all sides are submerged. Or two, use a grilling brush to generously brush the egg mixture on the patties. Place them back on the grill for 5-6 more minutes. Repeat this process 1 more time until the rice patties are lightly crispy. Total cook time is about 20-25 minutes on low heat. Depending on the heat of your grill, if the rice looks well done, remove them and be done with the grilling. 

11. Remove all the cooked patties from the grill, sprinkle a few more dashes of salt on them, and let cool slightly.  Serve the Khao Jee patties warm with a small bowl of Thai dipping sauce, and enjoy! 

Serving Suggestions and Ideas

You can also serve Khao Jee with a dipping sauce of your choice. A popular sauce in Laos is made of fish sauce, garlic, chili, and lime juice. Make this homemade Thai sweet chili dipping sauce, or buy this Thai brand sauce on Amazon. (Affiliate link)

Helpful Kitchen Tips

• When rolling your sticky rice into rice patties, wet your hands often with water to keep the rice from sticking to your fingers.
• Use a grilling brush to rub a small amount of oil on the patties before grilling, or the patties will stick to the grill and break apart. 
• Using a charcoal grill, use a grilling basket to hold the rice patties in one place. You'll use less oil if using a basket. 
• Use a coffee mug or cups to push down on the rolled rice patties for near-perfect circular shape rice patties. Oil the edges of the cup first to prevent the rice from sticking to the cup. Use a small spatula to remove the patties from the cup. See the image below.

Where to buy sticky rice

1. Find your sticky rice at your local Asian markets. Most stores will have them.
2. Grab them online at Amazon. Here are the brands I recommend. Three Rings brand, Cock on the mountain top brand, and Three Ladies Santapong brand

Ideas for using your grilled Khao Jee

Here are my favorite ways to eat Khao Jee after grilling them. Let me know if you think of anything else you can do with these delicious golden patties!

• The most obvious one-eat them plain as a snack! Read on for more creative ideas. (;
• Use your Khao Jee like you'd use buns! Make a gluten-free sandwich with these patties. Make them into any size you wish to fit your sandwiches.
• Make an open-face rice toast like bread, then add your favorite toppings like avocado, smoked salmon, sashimi, poke salads, or even peanut butter.
• Use your Khao Jee to sop up soups or cheesy pasta. Use them like you would a baguette sandwich!
• Sandwiches! Make a quick breakfast sandwich with these patties! Our family loves having fried eggs and bacon, some avocado or chili paste, and done! 
• Make Banhmi sandwiches. Khao Jee is the perfect base for a gluten-free option! Khao Jee pâté is amazing!
• Make an appetizer entree using these grilled rice patties. Use them like Bruschetta.

Kao Jee variations

• There are many variations of this Thai grilled sticky rice patty you can customize to your taste buds. The traditional Khao Jee is simple, but I love making these varieties, especially at BBQs, to make things fun and interesting! Below are my favorite things to add to my rice patties. Go nuts! 
• Make Khao Jee slightly sweet by adding a little sugar and coconut milk. Use brown sugar or palm sugar. They are excellent and add a nice caramelized color). Sprinkle some sesame seeds, coconut flakes, and mung bean to top off the patties for more texture and taste. 
• Add fish sauce, soy sauce, or oyster sauce instead of the seasoning sauce. Play around with a small amount first, as you don't want your Khao Jee runny when using liquid seasoning. 
• Add white or black pepper and even minced chili peppers for your spicy food lover!
• Add more flavors by adding fresh herbs like minced spring onion, chives, cilantro, mint leaves, shallot, and garlic. Add these to the rice before rolling them into patties. 
• Try adding these proteins to make fancy rice patties. Add dried shrimp, sweet Chinese sausage, leftover pork belly, ground pork, or fried food. Minced them very small.

Cooking method variations

If grilling is not an option, use the following cooking methods for your Khao Jee. Results will differ slightly, but these methods can be used as a substitute for grilling. Use your best judgment for how long your patties should be cooked. They are done once the rice turns golden brown and crispy on the edges. 

• You can grill your Khao Jee in an air fryer! Grill at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes per side. Spray with grilling oil, then grill on high at 400 for 2 minutes on each side to get the crispy brown outer layer of the patties.
• Use an indoor grilling griddle.
• Use an indoor electric BBQ grill like this one.

Helpful tools for making Sticky rice patties

• Grilling basket
• Grilling tongs
• Cooking brushes
• Grilling topper
• Indoor grilling griddle. 
• Electric BBQ grill like this one.

How to store leftovers Khao Jee

Khao Jee is extremely easy to store as leftovers. Store any leftover grilled rice patties in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. They will be hardened in the refrigerator. Before warming them back up, rub some water on the patties outside before microwaving them for 15-30 seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Thai food you'll love

• Khao Khua, rice powder using sticky rice
• How to make purple rice using white and black glutinous rice
• Laab Gai, a delicious minced meat salad
• Rad Na, a flat rice noodles gravy with bean paste and vegetable stirfry.
• Lao Papapa salad, Tam Mak Hoong
• Tom Yum noodle soup

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Pairing

These are my favorite drinks to serve with Khao Jee.