The rice pudding recipe
for your table
Do not wash the rice. The starch on the outside of the grains is what thickens the pudding, and otherwise you’ll rinse it off. Put the rice, milk, salt and vanilla or cinnamon in a large saucepan.
Turn the heat to low and leave the pudding uncovered for about forty minutes. Stir along the bottom and sides every few minutes, because that’s where the milk sticks and burns, and you’ll taste it throughout the whole pan afterward.
Stir in the granulated sugar only at the very end, when the grains are soft and the pudding starts to thicken. Take it off the heat when it is still just a little thinner than you prefer, because it will become considerably thicker as it cools.
Spoon it warm into a bowl with brown sugar and cinnamon sprinkled over it, or let it cool and layer it cold in a glass, with a layer of berries or apple compote in between.
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The story
Rice pudding is one of those dishes that has a slightly different name in every kitchen while being almost the same. In Flanders, rijstpap is an institution in its own right, often made with saffron, which gives the pudding a yellow color and a somewhat more floral flavor. In England and America, that same combination of rice, milk and sugar goes into the oven and emerges as rice pudding, with a brown skin on top and a much firmer consistency. What all versions have in common is why they exist: a handful of rice and a liter of milk can fill a table full of people, and that was useful long before anyone started calling it dessert.
The right glass
Rice pudding can go in two directions, and each calls for a different shape. Served warm from the pan, you want a fairly spacious, open shape in which the pudding can spread out and cool until you can put a spoon in it, as well as glass that can withstand the change in temperature; the twenty-four-centiliter coupe below is made of tempered glass for that purpose, which, according to the description, withstands the contrast between hot and cold without any problems. Served cold and layered with berries or apple compote, you want something wider, so the layers lie beside each other instead of sinking into one another; that is why there is a twenty-eight-centiliter coupe next to it, with room for pudding, fruit and a spoon all at once. A stoneware pudding bowl is of course not part of our range; these two are its glass alternatives. You can find more glassware for dessert among the dessert glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Primavera Ice Cream Glass 24 cl (6 pieces)
Royal Leerdam Fun 4 Food Ice Cream Coupe 28 cl Primavera (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 70,90.
The right tools
For rice pudding, besides the glass, you need a fairly large pan and a spoon long enough to reach the bottom, because that is where it starts to burn. A bar spoon measuring thirty centimeters does the job in a tall pan, and with a grater you can add fresh cinnamon or nutmeg to the pudding instead of powder from a jar. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Thirty-centimeter handle, reaches the bottom of a tall pan
Fresh cinnamon or nutmeg over the rice pudding, finer than powder
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 69,85.
What are you giving with it?
Rice pudding is first and foremost a children's dessert, and a bowl of porridge for children simply does not call for a drink: milk or water is enough. If it is served at the end of a winter meal, adults can enjoy a small glass of Dutch spirit with it, such as young genever, vieux or beerenburg. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails pair well with it and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Flemish rice pudding is cooked with a few strands of saffron, which gives it a yellow color and a slightly more floral flavor; that is the standard there, not the exception. Raisins simmered for the last ten minutes become plump and sweet, and apple compote at the bottom of the glass works just as well as berries. If you prefer a firmer version, put the same rice with milk and sugar in an oven dish and bake it into rice pudding, which comes out with a brown skin on top. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Serving warm does not mean boiling hot: let the porridge stand for five minutes before serving, otherwise the first spoonful will burn. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top only once it is in the bowl, because it dissolves immediately in the pan and then you miss the grainy texture. If you serve it cold, take the glasses out of the refrigerator half an hour before dessert; ice-cold porridge tastes flat.
Good to know
Why mustn't you wash the rice?
Because the starch on the outside of the grains is exactly what thickens the porridge. If you rinse it off, you are left with milk and separate rice grains, and the porridge will not thicken. With other dishes, such as rice served with a curry, you want to get rid of that starch; here, it is the whole mechanism.
Why does the lid need to come off?
Because the moisture needs to evaporate. Some of the milk evaporates during those forty minutes, and that is what thickens the porridge. With a lid on, the moisture stays in the pan, leaving you with thin porridge and soft rice. The pan is also more likely to boil over with the lid on.
Why do you need to keep stirring?
Milk sets onto a hot base and burns there, and that flavor spreads through the whole pan within a few minutes. Stirring along the bottom and edges prevents this, and also helps release the starch from the rice. Every few minutes is enough; constant stirring isn't necessary.
How thick should it be off the heat?
Thinner than you ultimately want it. As it cools, the starch continues to set and the porridge becomes considerably firmer; porridge that seems just right in the pan will be too thick on the plate. If it has nevertheless become too stiff, stir in a splash of cold milk.
Which rice do you use?
Dessert rice, also called pudding rice or milk rice, or another short-grain rice such as risotto or sushi rice. These grains release plenty of starch while remaining whole. Long-grain rice, basmati or pandan rice releases too little starch and results in loose grains in thin milk.
How do you store and reheat rice porridge?
Covered in the refrigerator, it keeps for two to three days and becomes even thicker. Reheat it over low heat with a splash of milk and keep stirring, and it will loosen up again. You can also use the microwave, in short thirty-second intervals, stirring once in between.
Frequently asked questions
What is rice porridge?
Rice porridge is short-grain rice slowly cooked in milk with sugar and vanilla or cinnamon. The starch from the rice thickens the milk into a thick porridge. Eat it warm from a bowl with brown sugar and cinnamon, or cold from a glass with fruit.
How long should rice porridge cook?
Allow forty minutes over low heat, uncovered, and stir along the bottom every few minutes. It really can't be much shorter: the grains need to soften and release their starch, which is precisely what thickens the porridge.
Why isn't my rice porridge thickening?
Usually because the heat is too high and there isn't enough time, or because the rice has been washed. Over high heat, the milk boils away before the grains have released their starch. Washing rinses that starch off. Long-grain rice simply releases too little starch for a thick porridge.
What is the difference from rice pudding?
Rice porridge is cooked on the stove and remains spoonable. Rice pudding goes in the oven, where it cooks much more slowly and develops a brown skin, emerging as a firm whole that you can slice. The ingredients are broadly the same.
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