Our theme for last week’s Gourmet Dinner Club (GDC) was KISS – Keep It Simple Silly. Cathy R instructed us to use only six ingredients. Salt, pepper and cooking oil didn’t count in that number. In looking for a dessert recipe I came across a few for rice pudding and figured that was a sign for what I should make.
Think of this as ‘international’ rice pudding as it combines flavors/ingredients from India (cardamom), Italy (rice) and the tropics (coconut milk). Instead of using traditional milk, this pudding uses full fat coconut milk. Arborio rice which is used in making risotto adds a creaminess to the pudding. If you’ve ever cooked risotto, you know that as the rice cooks, it releases starches. Adding orange zest and vanilla rounds out the coconut and cardamom flavors nicely.
This recipe is simple to put together – part of the goal of Cathy’s theme. Most of the time is spent unattended in the oven with no stirring involved (unlike traditional risotto).
I missed by one ingredient (not counting the kosher salt or water) in this recipe. But for me the ‘simple’ part figured in as I could make this a few days in advance as GDC is on a work night. And, the pudding fit nicely in small half-pint Mason jars which in turn fit into my small YETI (Hopper Flip 12) along with a bottle of wine and some ice packs. Yes, I’m fond of efficiency.
I case you were wondering, nobody complained about my seven ingredients – the rice pudding was a hit. And, this recipe is naturally gluten-free/wheat-free.
| Coconut-Cardamom Rice Pudding | Print |
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom plus more for garnish
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 2 13.5 ounce cans full fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 4 cups water
- 3 4-inch strips orange zest (with no white pith)
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup shelled, roasted and salted pistachios, roughly chopped
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place oven rack in middle of oven.
- In a small bowl, mix sugar, salt and cardamom. Set aside.
- Briefly rinse rice in a strainer for no more than 20 seconds. You don’t want the rice to release too much surface starch as that contributes to the creaminess of the pudding.
- In a large Dutch oven (6 to 8 quarts), stir together coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in rice, sugar mixture and orange zest. Cover and transfer to oven.
- Cook until rice is tender and pudding is tender, about 50 to 60 minutes. If the rice is done and there’s still liquid, transfer Dutch oven to the stove. Over medium heat, stirring frequently, cook off extra liquid. You don’t need to get rid of all of it as the rice will absorb some of it as it cools.
- Once rice is cooked and the appropriate amount of liquid is absorbed, remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla. I left in the orange zest as it had softened up while cooking, but you can remove it if you prefer.
- Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool completely, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days (bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving).
- Transfer pudding to dishes or Mason jars. Sprinkle with pistachios and a dusting of cardamom.
Source: Variation on a recipe from Milk Street, September – October, 2019
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