Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Classic Rice Pudding – Word on the Street Is

It’s not every day you find yourself walking next to someone on the street, who’s eating from a ridiculously large tub of rice pudding. Well, that’s exactly what happened to me the other day, and it served as a reminder for what a great, and comforting dessert rice pudding really is. 

For whatever reason, it’s usually not near the top when people list their favorite desserts, but despite that, it’s a proven crowd-pleaser, and quite easy to make, especially using this simplified, one-pot method.

Most recipes have you make the pudding in a clean pot, since, I’m assuming, they’re afraid the starch at the bottom of the pan used to cook the rice will burn. And, it probably would, unless you deglaze the bottom with cold milk before turning the heat back on. Not only will this simple step prevent the pudding from scorching, but also I think we get a little bit of extra toasted rice flavor. I also prefer an egg yolk to a whole egg, but regardless, be sure to whisk it in fast and furious, or they might scramble.

If you’re scared, you can temper the egg by mixing in a few spoons of the hot rice mixture, before blending in, but as I’ve said before, there’s nothing wrong with a little adrenalin-inducing danger in the kitchen. So, no matter what you garnish it with, or whether you eat it inside, or crossing Dolores Street, I really hope you give this a try soon.  Enjoy!  
   

Makes 4 Portions Rice Puddings:
1/2 cup uncooked white long-grain rice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/3 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold butter
2 tablespoons dried cherries, chopped

45 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello, Chef. I live in Venezuela and every time there's a family gathering we make this kind of desserts, specially this one. We call it "Arroz con Leche". Everything is exactly the same except for the egg yolk. What would that add to the final result? Also, for those who don't have any kosher salt laying around. What would be the equivalent in regular table salt?

SakuraiKun said...

Just made this, I add a bit of nutmeg and hint of cayenne for unnatural purposes haha. It taste like home sweet eggnog pudding!

Unknown said...

Thanks chef John. I am so happy to have discovered your channel and blog. Love the recipes, love the spirit and love that you seem so kind and funny 😍

Unknown said...

Because I have a bad sweet tooth, I would probably want to add more sugar. Does that mean I need to adjust the amount of milk going into it, as well?

Unknown said...

Do you have a hardware store blowtorch of choice? When I looked at one of my local stores the ones I saw were definitely not cheap...

Unknown said...

If you're using leftover cooked rice, about how much would you say you need for this recipe, btw?

Anonymous said...

just made this. came out great. next time im going to try making it in my rice cooker. i think it could work. also mix in some Hershey's chocolate syrup (same time you add the butter) and you end up with something very similar to the filipino dish Champarado. unfortunately i was all out of chocolate syrup.

Unknown said...

Can I use jasmine rice for this?

Unknown said...

Can I use jasmine rice for this?

Unknown said...

Can I use jasmine rice for this?

Unknown said...

A few days ago I had some relatives come in from out of state (I'm in Houston and they are from the Flordia panhandle), which of course led to a sort of mini-family gathering as they were passing through on their way to Californy. My aunt had made a blueberry cobbler and while we were sitting around eating it after some delicious Texas BBQ, my mother was lamenting that she hadn't had rice pudding since the last time she was on a cruise almost five years ago. Thanks for posting this, though I am by no means a chef, and am not sure I have the guts to try the de-glazing method. While chatting about cruise food, she also mentioned on the last cruise they had a sort of kitchen "theme" day, where it would be Italian one day, then Mexican, and even an English day. I know I've never heard anyone in my life say, "How about we get some English food?" when discussing where to go out to eat, but my mother loves Yorkshire pudding, Beef Wellington, Shepherds Pie and all. Perhaps you might consider doing a Spotted Dick recipe (substituting the raisins/currants of course) or some other more lesser known "pub foods" in the near future. Thanks for the vids and recipes!

Joseph Charles said...

Delicious. I used Jasmine rice and it adds a nuttiness to it that compliments the cinnamon and vanilla. Easy technique. Ridiculously easy. Thank you, Chef John!

Unknown said...

I'm going to have to try this with leftover rice. It's so different from the 'classic' English way, which is simply to bake short-grain pudding rice in whole milk for an hour or two, uncovered, with sugar, a little salt and a generous dose of nutmeg. The creaminess comes from the rice itself, a bit like a sweet risotto...

Unknown said...

Love rice pudding! Especially with whipped cream on top :).

Unknown said...

Can this pudding be made with brown rice?

nsklar said...

I didn't know I wanted this, but now that I had it, it was so good. Thank you Chef John.

Darthgaul said...

Would brown rice work with this recipe?

Pottersquash said...

Is this a cow milk only application or will plant based milks work as well? Specifically Coconut Milk. I'll suffer the lactose if I must, but if I don't have to that would be awesome.

Unknown said...

This is a fantastic recipe. Very easy and fun to do...and, most importantly, tastes delicious.

Unknown said...

This is my (and my son's) favourite way of disposing of leftover rice :-) Chef John, one question: when making this from scratch, is there an advantage to cooking the rice in water first and then re-simmering it in milk as you show, vs. just cooking it in milk from the start? This is how I usually prepare it and never ran into burnt-milk-related issues (or otherwise). Thanks!

Unknown said...

Love me some rice pudding!
Our traditional family recipe cooks the rice right in the milk in a double boiler. 1:4 rice to milk. Sugar gets mixed with the eggs in a side bowl along with dash of vanilla and fresh ground nutmeg. The cooked rice is added to that.
Vanilla - yes.
Raisins - yes (gonna try the cherries though)
Cinnamon - no
Nutmeg - yes

Love it hot, warm, room temp, cold...

Unknown said...

Rinse the rice prior to cooking?

Unknown said...

Do you recommend rinsing the rice prior to cooking?

Kelly S said...

In the video you say you can just use leftover rice, but you don't give an amount. If we're using leftover rice to make the dish, how much rice do we use?

JPJ said...

I tried this last night. Man it was SO SWEET. I went with the brulee-style topping which, predictably enough, made it even sweeter.

I may try it again, with less sugar, but sadly my wife and elder daughter don't like rice pudding. I know. They're weird.

Autruche Solitaire said...

I was surprised there wasn't any cayenne. Took the liberty to add it, to war the heart ��

Jerri H. said...

Just want to say, my hubby thinks I'm having an affair...with you, Chef John, because I mention your name every evening before serving at least one of your recipes! He doesn't mind though because everything tastes so delicious! Can't wait to try this one! Thanks for making me a better home chef!

Anonymous said...

Great, easy recipe - do not be afraid to cook your rice - mine was a little al dente. Thanks for your work, Chef John, I have always loved to cook, but your blog has spurred more creativity and yummy dishes than I would normally undertake.

Anonymous said...

My grandma used to cool the rice right in the milk, added butter and then put the whole thing in her bed under her thick down comfortor for a few hours. Really weirds me out to see rice pre-cooked in water, especially as here in Germany, they sell special grains for rice pudding (probably just with the shells off, but still).

Jamie S said...

Thanks for the video on what I consider an awesome recipe, but could you put up a printable version of your recipes, otherwise, what's the point in visiting the web site? Thanks for your consideration.

Tyrone said...

Chef, what happened?
Back in 2012 you wrote:
"I’m not a big fan of rice pudding,..."
Cheers!

Unknown said...

Sir, do you have a stone crab mustard sauce recipe that you've done a video for?

Danilla Sands said...

I did jasmine long white rice same method, did not burn and longer on low w milk to get bottom layer in pan off "deglaze" better. I went vegan. Used almond milk and a 1/16 of nutmeg. Skipped egg and added in vegan butter room temp. Was by far the best. I had been making this wrong all these years. Thx for the lesson.

Mike said...

Hi Chef! I always find myself with leftover rice.....if making this recipe with cooked rice, should I add or subtract the amount as compared to your recipe of 1/2 cup? Keep up the great work!

Richard L Walker said...

Seems a small recipe. Double would be better. lol

Rhonna said...

Hello Chef John, so if I am using leftover rice, are we talking about a cup here? Two? Thanks we love the stuff.

Lili said...

Just made it again, and it gets better every time, not sure why. :)

Thanks again, Chef John.

Unknown said...

I'm cracking up here reading all these comments about using cooked rice!! Haven't you guys ever cooked rice before?? It doubles when cooked! Or just compare it to the instructions on the back of a bag of rice....OR...gasp... GOOGLE RICE MEASUREMENTS....wow lmao

Unknown said...

Omg!! You are making me crazy going through all your desserts recipes!!! Thank you!!!

TheOne said...

Has anyone had any luck substituting almond milk instead of regular milk?

Unknown said...

So yummy! I couldn’t get the fingerprint on my butter to look right.

Unknown said...

Could I make this with honey instead of sugar? And how would I do it, please?

TaLoN-senpai said...

chef chef .. is it okay to skip the yolk or what should I replace it with if it's possible?
not a big fan of egg >w<

Unknown said...

Here in Belgium we have a similar dessert which is also simply called rice pudding. It doesn't contains any raisins or cinnamon but it gets it colour and flavour from vanilla and saffron. I think the same recipe will work replacing the cinnamon with vanilla extract and adding saffron. When using vanilla sticks you have to boil the rice in milk though to give the vanilla enough time to extract. We serve it cold and with brown sugar. I am going to try your rice pudding brûlé idea.

Unknown said...

What’s with all this cinnamon? :)

If there was ever a time to showcase NUTMEG, this is it. It’s the single best dessert vehicle for nutmeg.