Rice Pudding
We were recently in Africa with a group of people, one of whom is a waaaaay more adventurous eater than I ever was and he ordered crocodile. Ewwwww. On so many levels. When we asked him what it tasted like, he said, “Kind of like fishy chicken.” Hmmmm. Making it sound irresistible.
I also know someone who has eaten rattlesnake. Another fabulous sounding dish. What did it taste like? Chicken of course. Only chewier. And not really. But kinda. Sorta. More like chicken than beef. Well, sign me up for a big plate of that! Yu-um!!
So when I decided to make rice pudding, my goal here was to make something that people wouldn’t describe as, “sorta like rice pudding, but not really. More like rice with milk. But not. I don’t know. More like rice pudding than cake.”
But there was a problem. The only kind of milk that would give me that thick, creamy texture was coconut milk. Kind of a huge problem. I don’t really like coconut, and I live with somebody who regards coconut the same way he would regard a cyanide pill….Get as far away from it as possible, because he’s fairly certain eating it will kill him. Pretty sure he would rather chow down on rattlesnake stuffed crocodile than anything that tastes like coconut. Sigh.
But then, I discovered that when you cook the coconut milk down, it magically does not taste like coconut anymore…or crocodile…or rattlesnake. Win, win, win!! And the best part is, there are only five ingredients needed to make this yummy treat!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup short grain brown rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/4 cup monkfruit or more to taste (you can use regular sugar if that is not something you avoid like me)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
- In a pressure cooker (hot pot), put the rice and water and cook for ten minutes. Use the quick release after the 10 minutes, remove the top and add the coconut milk and monkfruit and stir well or whisk to combine. **see note at bottom
- Set the timer on the pressure cooker for ten minutes and then use the quick pressure release again. Remove the top and stir the vanilla into the pudding.
- Let the pudding cool a bit before eating (It will thicken more as it cools), then top it with fruit, mix the fruit into it, add whipped coconut cream…let your imagination go wild!
- If you are not eating it right away, or wish to refrigerate any leftovers, you will need to add a splash or two of almond milk to help it become creamy again as it will really firm up when it gets cold. You can do this before you refrigerate or by the serving as you are ready to eat it.
Enjoy!
** If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can make this on top of the stove. Put the water and rice in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes till most or all of the water is absorbed. Add the coconut milk and monkfruit, stirring or whisking well to combine. Cook over a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, or till rice is al dente. Turn the heat to low and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or so till coconut milk is thick. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
