One of the nicest things you can do for Mom on Mother’s Day is cook for her. Something sweet is best. My candidate? Comforting, traditional rice pudding.
Or maybe not so traditional. Classic rice puddings are made from plain white rice. In my recipe, which is made using black forbidden rice, the grains are slightly chewy, the flavor is slightly nutty, and the color is deep purple.
Once upon a time forbidden rice was said to be literally forbidden. Today, forbidden rice is considered a delicious and healthy whole grain we can all enjoy.
Like brown rice, forbidden rice is unpolished; the hull of the grain, a rich source of insoluble fiber, is left intact. It’s also a good source of iron and vitamin E, and a great source of the same antioxidants that put the blue in blueberries. These days it’s readily available at most grocers.
In this recipe, the rice is combined with whole milk — replacing the more traditional (and more caloric) heavy cream — sugar, cinnamon, eggs and vanilla.
Making this recipe is a snap. It shouldn’t require more than 15 minutes of your undivided attention. The rest of the time it’ll just simmer away on its own. Forbidden rice cooks up in a relatively speedy 30 minutes. You will, however, need to pay close attention when you add the eggs, making sure they don’t get so hot that they scramble.
Finally, I’d like to encourage you to top it all it off with some crystallized ginger, as suggested. It was one of my mom’s favorite little treats and it provides the perfect finishing touch of chewy, spicy contrast to the creamy pudding.
Forbidden Rice Pudding
Start to finish: 3 hours 25 minutes (15 minutes active). Servings: 4
Ingredients
½ cup forbidden rice (Chinese black rice)
1 cup water
2½ cups whole milk, divided
3 tablespoons sugar
1 large cinnamon stick
Salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup chopped crystallized ginger, to garnish (optional)
Directions
In a small saucepan over medium-high, combine the rice and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes, then pour through a mesh strainer to discard any excess water. Return the rice to the pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups of the milk, the sugar, the cinnamon stick and a hefty pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining ½ cup milk. Whisk in a large spoonful of the hot rice mixture. Add the egg mixture to the rice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes. Do not let the rice pudding boil or the eggs will scramble.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the vanilla and transfer the rice pudding to a bowl. Cover the pudding and chill until cold, at least 2 hours. The pudding will thicken as it chills. To serve, discard the cinnamon stick and divide the rice pudding among 4 bowls. Top each portion with some of the ginger.
Nutrition information per serving: 280 calories; 70 calories from fat (25 percent of total calories); 8 g fat (3.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 105 mg cholesterol; 42 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 17 g sugar; 10 g protein; 160 mg sodium.
