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Arroz con dulce
Arroz con dulce: Puerto Rican Christmas coconut rice pudding with ginger and cloves
From the start of December to the Three Kings in January, trays of arroz con dulce cool on Puerto Rican kitchen counters, sliced into squares and handed round at parrandas when carollers arrive at the door late at night. Unlike a milky rice pudding, it is cooked in a water steeped with fresh ginger, cinnamon, cloves and star anise, then finished with coconut milk and raisins, so it is fragrant, firm enough to cut and dairy free. The common mistake is adding the sugar too early, which keeps the rice grains hard; sweeten only once they are soft. Chef's tip: soak the rice for an hour first, and it cooks evenly and absorbs the spiced coconut far better.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz short- or medium-grain rice
- 4 ¼ cups water
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh gingersliced
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milkfull fat
- 5 ½ oz brown sugar
- 2 ½ oz raisins
- 1 tsp ground cinnamonto dust
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cover 10 ½ oz short- or medium-grain rice with cold water and soak for 1 hour, then drain.
60 minStep 2: Meanwhile put 4 ¼ cups water, 1 ⅜ oz fresh ginger, 3 cinnamon sticks, 8 whole cloves, 2 star anise and ½ tsp salt in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain, keeping the spiced water and the cinnamon sticks.
12 minStep 3: Put the drained rice and 750 ml of the spiced water in a heavy pan. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes until the water is almost absorbed.
15 minStep 4: Stir in 1 ¾ cups coconut milk and the cinnamon sticks and cook uncovered over a low heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes until the grains are completely soft when pressed.
15 minStep 5: Add 5 ½ oz brown sugar and 2 ½ oz raisins and cook for 8–10 minutes more, stirring constantly from the bottom, until the pudding is thick and leaves a trail when the spoon is drawn through. Add a splash of the remaining spiced water if it seizes before the rice is tender.
9 minStep 6: Discard the cinnamon sticks and spread the pudding in a 20 × 20 cm dish. Dust with 1 tsp ground cinnamon and leave to cool and set for 1 hour, then cut into squares. Keeps 4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arroz con dulce take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 70 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of short- or medium-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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