Rice pudding is a delicious dessert perfect for any time of year. It’s an easy dish to make that’s full of flavor. You can serve it at breakfast, brunch, or even lunch.
Arroz con Leche
Arroz con Leche is one of the most popular desserts in Latin America. It is served warm or cold, and it’s usually found on holiday buffet tables. This delicious, creamy rice pudding is on its own, or you can add other ingredients to create various recipes.
You can make Arroz con Leche from scratch or use sweetened condensed milk. Sweetened condensed milk is a mixture of milk and sugar. Most grocery stores carry it in the baking aisle. If you can’t find sweetened condensed milk, you can substitute it with vanilla extract. Or you can use one egg with 3 cups of whole milk.
Some cooks prefer to use evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk. You can also choose to make this pudding with almond milk.
Sultan (Turkish)
Sultan is a delicious dessert originating from Turkey. This sweet dish is often served as an after-dinner treat in the Middle East. A popular variation is firing sultan, prepared at home or in a restaurant. The pudding is typically served cold but can also be eaten warm.
Sultan is similar to rice pudding in that it uses short-grain rice. Its texture is smooth and creamy. It is a great way to use up leftover rice.
In general, you want to use good quality plant-based milk. You may also replace the whole milk with almond or coconut milk. These can both give you a slightly coconutty taste.
Sultan is usually topped with an egg yolk mixture. To serve it hot, you should consider a broiler to achieve a nice, golden crust.
Sholezard (Iranian)
The Persian Saffron rice pudding or Shole Zard is one of the most famous Iranian desserts. It is a traditional dish served on special occasions such as Ramazan and religious ceremonies.
This is a rich and flavorful Iranian pudding, which is very nutritious. The main ingredients are rice, sugar, saffron, rose water, and cardamom. Traditionally, the pudding is garnished with pistachios and almonds. Using a saucer, you can test the consistency of the pudding.
The sugar-to-rice ratio can be adjusted depending on how sweet the dessert tastes. However, the balance should not be too high, as it will slow down the baking process. Generally, 1 cup of rice gives a moderate sweetness.
The texture of the pudding should be smooth and creamy. To do this, the recipe calls for half-grain rice. Alternatively, you can also use whole grains. However, they will need more cooking time to transform into a mushy consistency.
Stovetop
You should try making it on the stovetop if you love rice pudding. It is simple to do, and you will get a rich and creamy dish that will warm your soul.
The ingredients you need are a few pantry staples. You will need milk, rice, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Start by heating the milk in a saucepan. Stir the milk and rice mixture until the rice is cooked. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool down.
Add sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla when the rice is cooled. Using a whisk, mix the ingredients to form a creamy pudding. This can be a delicious treat to serve with breakfast or dessert.
You can also add raisins or other fruits to your pudding. Raisins are standard, but you can also try golden raisins steeped in orange juice.
Add-ins
If you are looking to add more flavor to your rice pudding, there are many add-ins you can add. For example, you can add fruit, raisins, and chocolate chips. Customizing your rice pudding with spices and warm ingredients is also possible.
The first step to making a good pudding is to add some quality grains. This can be anything from Arborio rice to sushi rice.
You can add cinnamon, vanilla, or chocolate to make your rice pudding more flavorful. Then, add a pinch of salt to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
Another great way to add flavor is to use condensed milk. Condensed milk is a sweeter version of milk. It is perfect for use with other flavors like tropical fruits.
A few other add-ins that can be added to your rice pudding include chocolate pieces, toasted pecans, or a drizzle of caramel sauce. These are all delicious ways to finish your rice pudding.
