Rice Pudding with Brown Basmati?

[NotQuiteCockney]

I realise this is a bit knit-your-own-lentils, but I keep wanting rice pudding. I'm not too big on white carb, though, and use brown basmati for everything else. Does the rice in rice pudding have to be white short-grain?

[beckybrastraps]

It's all about the cooking tonight for you! It doesn't HAVE to be short grain. If you used brown I suspect it would need a lot more liquid. Haven't tried it. Don't think I'd really want to. I think it would go really stodgy. But I may be wrong...

[hulababy]

If you google "brown rice pudding" a fair few recipes come up.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I'm trying to do my online shopping, and suddenly thought of a bunch of cooking qs.

Hmm, I'll have to try it. With lots of cardamom, natch ... Maybe some coconut milk instead of regular?

[hulababy]

Such as:

New Fashioned Brown Rice Pudding
It is impossible to make this classic simpler. Rice pudding is a long-standing favorite dessert and it is so easy to prepare. However it can be made lighter. With its sweet vanilla taste and creamy texture this version uses whole milk instead of milk and cream lowering the fat content by 43%.
3/4 cup USA medium or long-grain brown rice 175 mL
1-3/4 cups water 425 mL
4 cups whole milk 1 L
1/2 cup granulated sugar 125 mL
1/2 vanilla bean pod 1/2
1/2 cup currants [optional] 125 mL
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1 mL
Garnish: whipped cream or fresh fruit


In large heavy saucepan, combine rice and water. Over medium-high heat bring rice to simmer, reduce heat, cover and continue to simmer until water absorbed, about 30 minutes.

Remove seeds from vanilla bean pod; set seeds aside. To pan, add milk, sugar, vanilla bean pod, seeds and currants, if using. Cook over medium heat uncovered, stirring frequently, until rice has porridge consistency. Remove from heat, remove vanilla bean pod and stir in cinnamon. Garnish with light whipped cream, fresh fruit and a cinnamon stick.

In using whole milk instead of a combination of 2% milk and cream, our version has approximately 5.6 g of fat per serving.

Makes 6 Servings.

[beckybrastraps]

Fancy!

[beckybrastraps]

To the coconut milk BTW

[NotQuiteCockney]

Thanks hulababy, I'll have to try making that then. I do like rice pudding, but I don't see why the rice has to be white ...

[hulababy]

I am sure it'll be fine.

Dh loves brown rice. I just cannot get on with it at all. I do love rice pudding though. I have just discovered Nigella's chuilled lemon rice pudding and it is divine! But, alas, white rice.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I think it's partly a question of retraining your tastebuds (if you want to like brown rice, that is). I'm just so used to brown rice, I no longer notice it as being odd at all. I do notice when I'm served white rice, as it tastes wrong to me. The texture is (often) unpleasant.

[spidermama]

I wondered about this NQC because white rice is crappy nutritionally, escpecially for my diabetic son who needs slow release carbs. *white rice is like eating sugar.

I';; try the recipe. I wondered about basmatic brown risotto too but have my doubts.

[NotQuiteCockney]

spidermama, when I quizzed other type 1 diabetics on here, they all said rice (brown or white) did some weird stuff to their blood sugar. But maybe it's just a question of getting used to it?

(I am a future type 2, so trying to plan ahead/avoid it. By now, anyway, brown carbs are just a habit.)

[NotQuiteCockney]

Ok, I tried out this recipe. Reduced the amount of water at the start, added some cardamom. Should have reduced the amount of milk, and the amount of sugar. It boiled for ages, and then was a bit too sweet. But still, came out well, I'll definately try it again, fiddling with the ingredients. The vanilla was a bit overpowering, could have used less, I think.

[Blu]

hulababy - could you post the chilled lemon rice pud recipe? that sounds yummy!

Isn't the point of rice pudding that the rice and milk sort of merge - which doesn't happen with brown rice?

[NotQuiteCockney]

The brown rice does retain more structure than white rice, it's true. I do miss really gloopy puddings, but my rice pudding never came out that way anyway. (And my experiments with tapioca were always disasters, unfortunately.)

[misdee]

i want rice pudding tonight. i usually use pudding rice, but only have long grain white rice. would u use it?

[NotQuiteCockney]

Eh, I made it with brown basmati, and it came out fine. Go ahead!

[mrsteacher]

oh hula - was about to try nigella's lemon rice pud...definitely will now :)

[misdee]

i know. i was just asking.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Oh, misdee, I was trying to be encouraging, not to embarass you!

It is strange to make it with something other than pudding rice, I always made it with pudding rice before.