Prepare your taste buds for a journey filled with comfort and tradition as I delve into the heartwarming world of rice pudding. This timeless dessert, known in Portugal as ‘Arroz Doce,’ has a special place in my household, and it’s a delight I can’t wait to share with you today. Creamy, fragrant, and sweet, this rice pudding recipe is like a warm embrace from the kitchen, conjuring cherished memories of family gatherings and comforting after-dinner treats.
Whether you’re already a devoted fan or new to the world of rice pudding, join me as we uncover the secrets to crafting the perfect bowl of this classic dessert, complete with a touch of lemon zest and a dusting of cinnamon. Get ready to discover the pure joy of homemade ‘Arroz Doce’ and bring a taste of Portuguese tradition to your kitchen.
Rice pudding is one of my favorite Portuguese desserts! It also happens to be my husband’s top 5 favorite desserts as well. He loves it when I make rice pudding.
I would love to believe that this recipe originated in Portugal, where my family is from, and I would be biased to say that this was honestly the truth, but it’s not. I will say though, that rice pudding is very popular if not one of the most popular, desserts served in almost every restaurant or home in Portugal. Wherever you go, you will easily find rice pudding in your nearby food establishment on their dessert menu. It is a true dessert staple.
Since China has an ancient rice culture, along with India and a few other countries across the world, many believe that rice pudding originated from there. Many historians have argued over the true origination of where rice pudding was created. I am going to spare you all the details, and simply just state that nearly every country in the world has a rice pudding recipe. Many of them use fresh or dried fruits. Some add nuts, and many use rice pudding as a breakfast dish served hot like porridge.
But me, well, rice pudding was always used as a dessert, served cold, at every family gathering, celebration, and almost every holiday, especially Christmas. Rice pudding is simply delicious. I feel that the simpler it is the more perfect it tastes!
What I love about this particular rice pudding is how creamy it is. It’s important to follow every step so that when you make this it comes out just as good as mine, if not better! 😉
Milk
I like to use organic whole milk for this recipe because of how rich it makes this dessert. If you would prefer to use a different milk, then feel free to experiment. I have wanted to try using almond milk with this recipe. I haven’t had the opportunity to make it yet. Maybe because, if I am being truly honest, deep down inside I love this recipe so much that I don’t want to tarnish its goodness. But if you want to experiment, be my guest.
Let me know in the comments below if you do!
Rice
Let’s talk about rice for a minute. After making this recipe for years, my mother and I experimented with the thickness and richness of this dessert, which we mastered, I think. But always found the rice to get really hard when we would refrigerate it. So, I started doing some research.
Many people like to use long-grain rice or Jasmine rice because of its floral aroma and flavor when making rice pudding. And while that may work if you’re making this recipe to eat warm, it is not the best type of rice to use when refrigerated. If you’re choosing to make this recipe as a dessert, served cold, it is important to note that long-grain rice will get hard when served cold. As a dessert, who wants to eat hard grains of rice in sweet milk?
Many people also use Arborio risotto rice. I haven’t tried it yet, mainly because it is a tad more expensive than Goya’s rice, but maybe I’ll try Arborio rice soon and let you know if it makes much difference. 😉
After many failed attempts at trying many different types of rice, we finally discovered that medium-grain rice is the way to go. So here is my best-kept secret… I use Goya’s Enriched Medium Grain Rice. This type of rice also leaves the perfect amount of starch to help thicken the pudding and make it rich and creamy. It stays tender and doesn’t fall apart or turn into mush. I like to wash it and make sure I keep washing it until the water is almost clear. And by washing, I mean, submerging the rice in a bowl with cold water, rinsing it out, and repeating this step 3-4 times. Many will argue that I am washing away the starch, but I can assure you this recipe will get creamy and thick even after washing the rice starch away.
Boil the rice in a separate pot from the milk mixture. Add the 2 ⅔ cups of water and 1 tsp of salt and bring water to a boil. Once the water is boiling add your washed rice, stir well, and let it work its magic for the next 10 minutes or so. You will see the water evaporate. Your rice may seem a little mushy after awhile, but don’t worry, this is exactly how it’s supposed to look. Once you have stirred the rice and there is no water left at the bottom of the pot, it is time to turn the heat off and add the rice right into the milk mixture and stir.
Stir continuously for 20-25 minutes in a figure 8 motion. Be gentle with the rice pudding. You want it to keep its consistency. You will see that it will thicken as time goes by. Be patient and you will see that your patience will pay off.
Butter
I like using salted butter for this recipe. I feel that it adds just the right amount of sodium needed to balance this recipe out, but if you’re one who is watching their sodium intake, feel free to use unsalted butter. Any kind will do.
Milk mixture
I usually use my Dutch oven when making my rice pudding. It’s a 7-8 quart dutch oven. It is pretty big and enough for this whole recipe. If you don’t have a Dutch oven please be sure to use a non-stick pot. Milk can get stuck to the bottom of your pot and burn very easily if you’re not using the right pot. Trust me, the last thing you want is to go through all this work and have your rice pudding taste like burnt milk. It’s not very appetizing.
Tips:
When adding the first few ingredients into your pot: milk, sugar, butter, lemon peel, and cinnamon sticks, be sure to mix it all together and after a few minutes of it warming keep an eye on it. I am speaking from experience when I tell you that before you know it, you will have a pot of overflowing boiling milk all over your stovetop. This is not a fun cleanup. Once it comes to a boil, shut the heat off and just let it sit until the rice is ready to be added.
Also, when peeling your lemon try to peel it in one long swoop. It will be easier to fish for later than 10 pieces of lemon peel.
When stirring the milk and rice, be gentle to not rip apart the lemon peel. It is ok if you do, but again, it’ll be easier to grab later on.
Eggs
You can use large eggs for this recipe or fresh organic chicken eggs. Just note that chicken egg yolks tend to be more yellow, almost orange so when adding the yolks to your recipe don’t get scared if your rice pudding has a more yellow tint to it! IT IS OK!!
After separating your egg yolks from the egg whites, you’re going to want to mix your egg yolks until they have a frothy consistency. I like to really beat them for a few minutes with an electric hand mixer. I feel as though this is what helps the rice pudding get thick and creamy when you add the egg yolks to the rice pudding during the last 5 minutes of its cooking time. Make sure to follow the steps below so you don’t get scrambled eggs. The leftover egg whites can be discarded or saved in your refrigerator for anything else you might be cooking.
Serving Tray
You can use a deep-dish serving tray or ramekins for the rice pudding. I usually use a deep-dish serving tray because it takes up less room in my refrigerator, but if you want individual ramekins, then go for it and have a blast.
Be sure not to leave your rice pudding in your pot for too long after it’s finished cooking because it will start to set after a few minutes. I use a ladle to pour the Rice Pudding into its tray or ramekins. It is less messy. I have tried pouring rice pudding right into the serving tray only to find out that it splatters everywhere when I do, and I get a rice pudding facial because it is hot. So, I recommend using a ladle instead. Once your rice pudding has cooled off for 2-3 hours sprinkle ground cinnamon all over your serving tray. I would have shown you my finished product, but I accidentally deleted the picture I took while I was editing my pictures!! 🙁
Bom apetite! Enjoy your dessert!
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The Creamiest Portuguese Rice Pudding
Equipment
- 1 6 quart Dutch Oven
- 1 pot for cooking rice
Ingredients
- 8 cups of whole milk
- 1 ⅓ cups of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of salted butter
- Peel from one lemon
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ⅓ cup of medium grain rice
- 2 ⅔ water
- 4 egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Take 4 eggs and separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Place them in different bowls. We will only be using the egg yolks for this recipe.
- Using the bowl that you put your egg yolks in, beat the egg yolk with either a whisk or an electric hand mixer. You want to get the egg yolk almost frothy. When finished, set aside.
- Pour milk, sugar, butter, lemon peel and cinnamon sticks into a pot on medium heat.
- While milk is slowly warming, place another pot with 2 ⅔ cups of water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring water to a boil.
- Make sure to wash rice thoroughly until water is clear.
- Once water begins to boil add rice and mix.
- In the meantime, keep an eye on the pot where the milk and other ingredients are coming to a boil. Once it has come to a boil, shut heat off and let sit as is until the rice is ready to be added.
- Once you have shut off the heat of the milk mixture, take about 1 cup of the milk into a bowl or cup. Set this milk aside and let cool off and come to room temperature while everything else is still cooking. Use a bowl where you can later mix the milk and egg yolks together.
- Rice will cook until water starts to soak into the rice and evaporate. When you see that there is no longer any water pour the rice as is into the milk mixture.
- Turn heat on medium for the milk mixture pot. Mix everything together into one pot and let boil for about 20-25 minutes.
- You can let it sit on its own for a few minutes, but if it starts to stick to the bottom of your pot, keep mixing it to avoid the rice from sticking.
- Stir in a figure 8 motion to not tear apart the lemon peel and to keep everything from sticking to the bottom of your pot.
- After 20 minutes, the mixture has thickened a little bit. Now add the egg yolks into the 1 cup of milk that you set aside earlier. The milk might still be warm. That is ok, as long as it is not boiling hot. Pour it in slowly while whisking. We don’t want scrambled eggs.
- Once this part is done, add this to the pot where the milk and rice have been cooking together. This is where the magic happens. Pour the milk and egg mixture into the pot gently and with a wooden spoon be sure to blend it all together slowly. Once you have poured the whole mixture together, continue mixing in a figure 8 motion. Everything will start to get thicker and creamier. This is what you want. Keep mixing for about 5 minutes. You will see that it will turn your mixture a little yellow, due to the eggs of course.
- After 5 minutes, turn the heat off. Remove all lemon peel and cinnamon sticks.
- Take your rice pudding and pour it into whatever serving tray you would like.
- Let sit out for about 2-3 hours. You want this to cool off. When it’s completely cooled off, sprinkle some cinnamon on top and place in the refrigerator covered with a plastic wrap.
- This will hold up for 5-6 days in your refrigerator.
- Bom apetite! Enjoy your dessert!
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