Blueberry Forbidden Rice Pudding

Our friends, Kathy H and John W, recently invited us to their house for dinner. While we’d shared a few cocktails via Zoom, it was our first meal in person since the pandemic. When I asked what we could bring, the reply was dessert. So I began looking for recipes that I could make ahead and traveled well, but also incorporated some fresh summer fruit.

When I came across this recipe on New York Times Cooking, I knew I had to make it. This recipe was made for my dad and while I wasn’t making it for him, I thought I’d try it out and if all went well, I’d make it again. My dad loves rice pudding. Add to that coconut and blueberries – two other things he loves and it was sure to be a winner.

Forbidden rice is also called black rice. It starts out black but as it cooks it turns purple or pretty much the same color of blueberries. In Ancient China, black rice was reserved for royalty which is how it got its name. It turns out that both black rice and blueberries contain the plant compound anthocyanin which is responsible for their purple color. This rice has a roasted and nutty flavor to it. Black rice is very healthy as it also contains the highest antioxidants of any rice and is a good source of protein (more than brown rice), iron and fiber. Learn more about black rice in Healthline’s 11 Surprising Benefits and Uses of Black Rice. 

I’ve made rice pudding before and this recipe looked pretty straightforward, but then I began reading the comments and they were mixed. Some had no problem with how it was written and others shared that it took much longer to cook than stated. Here’s an example of when you’re handed various data points, take the time to read them. Let’s just say that I had read them but did not digest them. Not until it took my rice pudding much longer to cook. Patience saved the day and all turned out just fine! The rice pudding was delicious and well received by all.

You start out by cooking the rice by itself and once it’s cooked (water is absorbed), you add in unsweetened low-fat coconut milk (make sure it’s unsweetened) and honey. Then stir often while waiting for the liquid to absorb and it becomes more creamy. The original recipe said five to ten minutes – it took fifty minutes! But that was fine as I had my laptop on the counter so I was answering emails while stirring the rice. I adjusted the recipe I’m sharing slightly by adding some more rice as the recipe stated it fed six but barely fed four and kept the liquid pretty much the same. That being said, it should take less time for the liquid to absorb – more like 30 to 40 minutes. At the end you add the blueberries and a bit of vanilla and stir until the blueberries begin to pop (an additional five minutes).

I transferred these to eight ounce mason jars (small bowls or glasses work fine, too)  and put them in the refrigerator to cool with the lids off (to avoid condensation). About two hours later, I put the lids on. Then I packed them in my favorite YETI (John W introduced us to our first YETI soft cooler so it was only fitting) and headed to dinner. When it was dessert time I simply took them from the cooler and they were ready to serve. Then I took the jars home to clean so our hosts had one less thing to clean.

As far as a dessert goes, there’s a lot of good-for-you ingredients in this one. I’m not saying it’s healthy, but I will say it’s less bad for you. Plus, it’s naturally gluten-free/wheat-free. And, you can make it up to two days in advance.

Source:  Variation on recipe from New York Times Cooking