Forbidden Rice Pudding sounds nice and naughty… in a delicously contraband kind of way. We all appreciate forbidden fruit, and I would stack this rice pudding made with coconut milk up against original sin.
Forbidden rice in all it’s forbidden glory
First things first – what exactly IS forbidden rice? It is a type of purple-black rice-an heirloom variety with a rich, nutty flavor. Why forbidden, why? There are a couple of theories floating around. The first is that it was so rare that only the Emporer of China and his family were able to eat it. Another is that the Greeks banned it once upon a time.
Either way it starts out black, cooks up to a black-purple color and in rice pudding transforms to a beautiful mauve-purple.
BTW-It lends itself well to stir-fries and is delicious topped with an egg and some sautéed veggies.
You can serve this pudding, hot, lukewarm, cold or ‘drunken’ with a splash of rum at the end. So many choices…
Delish hot, cold, leftover for breakfast, with fresh fruit, and all that jazz
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked or 2 c. cooked Forbidden Rice
- 2 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk
- 1 can (14 oz) Thai Coconut Milk
- 1/4 c. Sugar - you can add more if you want something super sweet.
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Spice Blend of your choice. I've tried a bit of everything from cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mace, saffron, anise and sea salt in various combinations.
Method
- For Uncooked Rice - aka the LONG-ish Method:
- Wash the rice in several changes of water. Initially, the water will run off black or grey. Not to worry! Just keep going until the water runs off clear. Drain away.
- Put the rice in a very deep pot - it has a tendency to boil over. Add the coconut milk and the Thai coconut milk, plus 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and cook the rice gently for around an hour. Stir it regularly, increasing the frequency the longer it cooks. Nothing is worse than burned-bottom rice pudding.
- You'll know when it is done - the rice will be soft and the milk will thicken to a pudding consistency. Add the sugar & vanilla extract plus the spices of your choice to taste. Cook over low heat for an additional 5 minutes.
- For Cooked Rice - aka the HALF the Time Method:
- This is perfect for using up rice left over from Meal Prep. Day old (or even days old) rice transforms quickly into this lovely dessert.
- Add both milks, cooked rice, and sugar to a large pot - the boiling over part here still applies. Bring to a boil, stir to dissolve the sugar and lower the heat to medium low.
- Let it cook for 30-40 minutes until it has a thick, pudding consistency. Turn of the heat, add your spices of choice. (This go around, I used the La Boîte N.33 - Mishmish - which is just fun to say. As you know, I am a BIG fan of their flavors)
How do you use leftover rice?
Lydia, Seller of Purple
Yum!