Cuban-style coconut rice pudding

 

I finished my Cuban-inspired cooking week yesterday with a Cuban rice pudding, which I made with coconut milk instead of milk. Simple to make, even if time-consuming, it’s yummy and I think worth the time.

The quantities here make 8 portions. It’s ready in 80 minutes or so.

Ingredients

• ½ cup of short grain white rice, rinsed and drained
• 1 ½ cups of water
• 1 piece of lemon zest (I used my vegetable peeler)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cups of coconut milk (I used my homemade coconut milk that I made ahead)
• ½ cup of Demerara sugar (it was quite sweet, so next time I will add only ⅓ or even ¼ cup of sugar – the original recipe called for 1 cup!)
• ¼ teaspoon of salt (I used Himalayan salt)
• Ground cinnamon to garnish

Preparation

In a saucepan over high heat, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the rice, lemon zest and cinnamon stick, and cook stirring often for 10 minutes or so, until the rice is soft (there is nearly no water left).

Stir in the coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Bring to a light boil, turn down the heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered, stirring regularly, for 60 minutes until the mixture has become thick and creamy, and the rice has nearly absorbed all of the liquid.

Remove the cinnamon stick, divide into individual serving bowls or transfer to a single large one, and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Eat warm or cold.

When completely cooled, store in the fridge.

Adapted from Taste of Cuba