Milk pudding

One of the desserts tradicionales of Peruvian gastronomy is the Rice pudding. It is a rich, nutritious and simple sweet to make, but it consists of certain tricks so that it has the texture and flavor of an excellent cultural delicacy.

Also, the Rice pudding and other sweets have Arabic origin, but they were adapted by the Spanish and brought to Peru at the time of the conquest. Later, these dishes evolved by integrating the country's native flavors and ingredients, resulting in a wide variety of emboques and seasonings.

In the same way, this dessert is special, since it is mentioned by Ricardo Palma in “Peruvian Traditions”, when he tells the story of a libertine friar from the year 1651, who, when visiting a dying friend, told him: “What the hell, man! I come for you to take you to a party, where there are girls from Rice pudding and cinnamon” wanting to point out how sweet and magnificent this dish is compared to the beauty and seduction of the ladies.

But, so that you don't just keep the review of this particular dessert and to get to know on your own about its unique flavor and freshness, we will shortly point out the full recipe.

Ingredients

• 250 gr of rice
• 1 liter of milk
• 150 g sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 cloves
• A pinch of salt
• 10 gr of cinnamon powder or 4 tablespoons of brown sugar to decorate the surface
• 1 or 2 lemon or orange peels

Materials and utensils

• Olla
• Wooden spoon
• dessert cups
• Kitchen towels
• Colander or fine sieve

Preparation

1. First, it is necessary aromatize the milk in which the rice will be cooked. To do this, put the milk together with the sugar, the cinnamon sticks and the lemon peel in a pot. Put it all on him mid fire until it boils, that is until the milk begins to bubble
2. Now, while the milk is taking temperature, wash the rice with abundant water so that part of its starch is eliminated. You can do this through a very fine strainer and under running cold water. So that it is well washed, remove it with your hands for a couple of minutes. This step does not affect the dessert cream, but it is necessary so that the rice does not stick to the pot or puff up too much.
3. Next, add the rice when the milk has boiled. Lower the heat so that it cooks slowly for 50 and 60 minutes. Stir it from time to time so that it does not stick, these shakes can vary between 10 to 15 minutes
4. When you reach 40 minutes of cooking, mix more often, since at this point the rice tends to stick more easily. Also, watch the amount of milk in the pot, if you like the rice to be dry, let it cook a little more, but if you want it with broth and cream, turn off the heat at the exact time.
5. always add a pinch of salt to bring out all the flavors. Do not worry about this step, the dessert will not be salty unless you exceed the pinch
6. Taste the rice, if the grains are done and the texture is what you like, remove it from the heat and let stand a few minutes to temper
7. Finally, before it gets cold remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peel. Pack the rice into dessert cups
8. To each bowl served, sprinkle powdered cinnamon or powdered sugar and caramelize the surface, this with the help of a torch, which will melt the sugar on top of the dessert
9. Consume at once or put it in the fridge to adapt to the temperature

Tips and recommendations

The exact way to prepare this type of rice varies depending on where we are from, but in this case, we find ourselves enjoying it in Peru, where the flavor and texture will always revolve around what sweet and warm of the recipe.

However, in order to reach a hit point and prepare a dessert worthy of the Peruvian population and culture, then we leave you a series of tips so that you can achieve favorable and unique results on your plate:

• Add spices to water or milk where the rice will be cooked. Infuse the liquid as if it were a tea and use this for the complete cooking of the rice. You can use star anise, cloves, cardamom and other aromatics
• For every cup of rice, use 2.5 cups of milk or water. Let everything cook until there is little liquid left. Also, respect the portions so that everything is regular and perfect
• Choose quality rice
• In this recipe you can use milk and sugar or a mixture of evaporated and condensed milk. You can also substitute milk for almond or soy milk, even with coconut milk to give it a more exotic flavor
• Unlike other rice recipes, in this one you must stir preparation for constant periods of time, these can be 10 to 15 minutes so that it does not stick. Help yourself with one wooden shovel so as not to mistreat the grains
• If you like raisins or plumsYou can add as much as you want to the mix. But if you can't stand to see them, you can introduce blueberries, nuts, fresh fruit (strawberry, papaya, banana, apple, pear or pineapple) or in syrup
• If you like very consistent rice, add to the milk 1 or 2 egg yolks and cook over low heat until thickened. The texture will be like that of a custard
• For an unexpected and intense flavor, once you have turned off the heat, add a butter spoon and stir

Nutritional contribution

This dessert with a unique flavor is full of beneficial nutrients for the body, as well as vitamins and minerals special for the corporal development of each person according to their age and condition. This nutritional contribution is summarized as follows:

For 1 portion of rice of 134 gr there are:

• Calories 190 Kcal
• Saturated fats 1.687 gr, polysaturated 0.197 gr and monounsaturated 0.783 gr
• Carbohydrates 33.34 gr
• Proteins 6.82 gr
• Energy 796 Kg
• Proteins 6.82 gr
• Fiber 0.4 gr
• Sugars 6.94 gr
• Cholesterol 9 mg
• Sodium 482 mg
• Potassium 236 mg