Left Over Rice Pudding

Hubs and I have been away. It was lovely travelling and exploring new places, visiting family and enjoying new people and experiences. I had never been on a cruise before and it had been my intention to post all about the trip right away, but it’s taking some time to collect my thoughts and ideas. I’ll share with you soon, I promise.

Coming back from vacation, excited to get back into the kitchen, the first thing I cooked was….. a giant pot of brown jasmine rice. Okay, so it’s not uber glamourous, but it sure was tasty alongside leafy steamed bok choy and kale, and my secret baked tofu. Greens were key. We had missed them. A lot. Our welcome back meal was simple and delicious though the next day we found ourselves wanting something sweet. Our memories were craving the fancy cocktail vacation drinks, but it was time to get back to balance. Fruity drinks are fabulous, on occasion, but it was time for something a bit more appropriate for the winter temperatures (aka not another pina colada!!). I knew I wanted something comforting and warming. Something to enjoy cuddled up in a soft wool blanket. And it had to be super easy. Enter the giant pot of rice.

It’s a good thing to cook a big ol’ pot of rice. You can use the leftovers in soups, stir-fries, grain salads, as porridge in the morning, or as the base for a rich and creamy dessert like in this pudding. The hardest thing here is the waiting, although you can cheat- I’ve written my secret below. You can use any type of milk you like. I combined the two simply because I wanted to use them up.

Left Over Rice Pudding

 2 Cups left over brown jasmine rice (short or medium grain brown rice is fine too)

1 cup amasake

1 cup almond milk

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp vanilla

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Combine the leftover rice, the amasake and the almond milk in a pot. If you don’t have amasake that’s fine- just use whatever type of milk you have on hand. I wanted to use ours up- hence the combo. It’s flexible. Heat over low temperature, stirring occasionally, for 30 – 45 minutes. Sometimes when I can’t wait I’ll stir in some kuzu to thicken the pudding, so I can eat it right away… but it tastes better if you wait it out.

When the rice is tender soft and the pudding is thick and creamy, stir in the maple syrup, the vanilla and the cinnamon. Cook another 1-2 minutes, then serve. It’s equally tasty served hot, warm or cold.

Make lots and have it for breakfast too.