Rice pudding

Name: Rice pudding
Prep time: 46 min
Cook time: 140 min
Total time: 186 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Levantine
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Egyptian rice; 5 cups milk; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 teaspoon Orange blossom water or ground mastic; 1/4 cup Cinnamon or pistachios

Rice cooked slowly in milk until creamy, with the aroma of mastic and cinnamon — a childhood embrace in a glass.

Vegetarian

Cooking time: 3 hr 6 min
Hands-on time: 46 min
Free time: 2 hr
Difficulty: Easy
Cuisine: Levantine
Calories: 430
Contains: Nuts, Dairy

Nothing sums up the word "home" like rice pudding: patience and stirring until the rice dissolves in the milk and they reach a uniform consistency. Eat it cold with a sprinkle of cinnamon, and keep a cup in the fridge—a sweet promise for tomorrow.

Before you start

Before you beginRead the steps completely, measure the ingredients, and prepare the tools before turning on the fire or oven.
Heat and restingPrepare the ingredients precisely and allow the dessert time to cool or set before cutting.

Ingredients

6people

Amounts follow the number of people

To prepare rice pudding

1/2 cup Egyptian rice — Washed and soaked for half an hour
5 cups milk — Full-fat and refrigerated until ready to use
1/2 cup sugar — fine white
2 tablespoons cornstarch — Dissolved in a little milk first — to be safe
1 teaspoon Orange blossom water or ground mastic — Add gradually until the texture is right
1/4 cup Cinnamon or pistachios — For the top

When doubling the quantity, use two molds of the same size instead of one deep mold, and maintain an even thickness for cooking.

Equipment

Heavy-based pot — Rice pudding sticks quickly — a heavy base and frequent stirring are both needed.
Serving glasses — Poured in and chilled before the cinnamon goes on.

Method

Wash the rice and soak it in lukewarm water for twenty minutes, then drain it.
20 minYou can walk away
You’ll know it’s ready when
A grain of rice breaks easily between the fingernails.
Tip: Soaking shortens cooking time and gives a creamy texture.
Boil the rice with a cup of water over low heat until all the water is absorbed.
12 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
There was no water left at the bottom and the rice was soft and swollen.
Tip: Low heat from the start — a hard boil breaks the grains.
Add the milk and sugar and stir over medium heat.
5 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
The sugar dissolved completely and a light steam began to rise from the milk.
Let it simmer gently, stirring from the bottom every two minutes until it thickens.
25 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
It coats the back of the spoon, and if you pull the spoon down to the bottom, the line remains for a second before it closes.
Tip: Stir from the bottom specifically — that's where the rice sticks and burns.
Dissolve the starch in a little cold milk and add it while stirring until the mixture thickens.
4 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
The mixture is thick and flows slowly from the spoon.
Tip: The cornstarch is optional if it is already thick.
Add the orange blossom water, distribute it into the glasses, and chill before serving.
2 hrYou can walk away
You’ll know it’s ready when
It is cool and firm, and its surface is smooth without a dry crust.
Tip: Press plastic wrap onto the surface if you don't like a skin.