Vegetarian & Creamy;
Rice Pudding – Rizogalo – Arroz de Leite
Rice pudding – a dessert that always makes me feel like home. In Cyprus, where I am from, this is called Rizogalo, derived from the words rizi (=rice) and gala (=milk). I always remember scooping away what was left in the pans from the making of pudding, when my mum used to make it. It was so delicious, whether you had it warm as soon as it was made, or whether you had it cold and refreshing.
Although my mum used to make it with normal milk, some years ago I made the conscious choice of avoiding dairy if possible, so I gave the rice pudding my own take, and managed to create a version that was still as satisfying, still as creamy, still taking me back to beautiful memories of my hometown.
My partner, Mozambican with Portuguese roots, knows this dessert as ‘Arroz de Leite’, and I will report that he did not only approve of my version of Rice Pudding, but he also finished the whole portion I made , in less than 2 days.
A light treat to satisfy your sweet cravings!
INGREDIENTS
· 1/4 cup arborio rice
· 1 cup of boiling water
· 4 cups oat milk (or soya milk, as both are naturally sweeter)
· 3 tablespoons of stevia (or more according to how sweet you want it to taste)
· ½ cup of cornflour
· ground cinnamon to sprinkle on top
INSTRUCTIONS
1. First rinse the rice with some water and then transfer it into a saucepan. Add the boiling water and leave the rice to cook for about 15minutes (Stir occasionally) on low-medium heat. The rice should be perfectly cooked and not hard to bite on. Once it is cooked removed from heat.
2. In a separate saucepan, add the oat-milk, stevia and cornflower and vanilla and mix well. Put the saucepan on low-medium heat and start stirring immediately.
Note that you cannot stop stirring until the mixture starts getting creamier, otherwise it will not only
stick in the bottom, you might also end up with a lumpy mix. The mixture should start thickening in
less than 10 minutes, so if that is not the case, add a bit of cornflour (about a tsp) in some room
temperature water (about 2 tbsp) and then add that into the warm milk mixture – while you do that
be careful that you do not let the mixture site without stirring for long. The milk mixture should not
get too thick as then it will not remain creamy after it gets in the fridge
3. Once the milk mix is creamy, add the rice to it and stir for another 2-3 minutes
4. Transfer the mix into either serving bowls or a medium glass tapper wear container and sprinkle some cinnamon on top. Let that sit until completely cool and then transfer it in the fridge. It should stay in the fridge at least 40 minutes.
5. Enjoy!
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