ellen@ucla-cs.UUCP (04/09/85)
Newsgroups: net.cooks Subject: rice pudding Expires: References: Sender: Reply-To: ellen@ucla-cs.UUCP (Ellen Perlman) Followup-To: Distribution: Organization: UCLA C.S. Dept. Keywords: when i ate rice almost daily, one of my favorite breakfasts was made with left-over rice (actually, the other was also made with left-over rice, Thai/Indonesian fried rice (FOR BREAKFAST, since fried rice is more-or-less a SNACK food, and not a main course/main meal type dish - with LOTS of chilis & shrimp paste - really wakes you up...but i digress...) this is played by ear/eye - put cold left-over RICE in a sauce pan. add COCONUT MILK, enough to cover - the idea is that the rice absorbs most of the coconut milk, but doesn't get too mushy. drop in a CINNAMON STICK (the natural spice, not candy:-) or two (the very fine quills seem to be more fragrant than the thick-skinned kind) and add several whole CLOVES. sweeten with PALM SUGAR to taste. - if you can't find that, try MAPLE SUGAR. and if your local natural food store or gourmet store doesn't have that (for shame), try DARK BROWN SUGAR. but, of course, palm sugar adds that southeast asian je ne sais quoi to the dish. for the really adventuresome, toss in a PANDAN LEAF or two - or a tiny drop of PANDAN EXTRACT (from your local handy Thai or Indonesian market, where you can find the other ingredients). bring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower heat and simmer very gently, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, til rice is the consistency you like. should still have a little liquid. (don't eat the whole spices or leaves). can be made with ground spices, but is not as fragrant. this is naturally much better made with BLACK RICE, which is not impossible to find in the States (i've seen it in Vietnamese & Indonesian markets). if it's just REGULAR BLACK RICE, cook as for white rice (tho' it may need a bit more water). if you find BLACK STICKY RICE a.k.a. BLACK SWEET RICE, soak overnight or at least several hours before cooking (as for regular rice). the dish that results is a beautiful deep purple (from the rice). yum yum.