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Arroz zambito
Rice pudding with chancaca and raisins
Arroz zambito: Lima's dark rice pudding cooked with chancaca, raisins and coconut
Lima's Afro-Peruvian kitchens gave the city arroz zambito, the dark cousin of arroz con leche: rice simmered with cloves and cinnamon, sweetened with chancaca instead of white sugar, and enriched with milk, coconut and raisins. The name refers to its deep brown colour, and it is sold in cups at markets and from carts alongside mazamorra morada, often half and half in the same cup. It tastes of molasses and spice, soft and creamy with chewy raisins and nuggets of coconut. The way it usually goes wrong is adding the chancaca too soon, before the rice is tender; the sugar firms the grains and they never soften. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with cinnamon. Chancaca can be swapped for panela or dark muscovado. Chef's tip: melt the chancaca in a little water first and strain it, as the blocks often contain bits of cane fibre.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 7 oz white riceshort or medium grain, rinsed
- 3 ¾ cups water
- 4 cloves
- 9 oz chancacaPeruvian chancaca, panela or dark muscovado sugar, chopped
- 1 ¾ cups evaporated milk
- 2 ½ oz raisins
- 1 ¾ oz desiccated coconut
- ⅔ oz butter
- 1 ⅜ oz pecans or walnuts (optional)chopped
- ½ tsp ground cinnamonto finish
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 7 oz white rice, 3 cups water, 1 cinnamon stick and 4 cloves in a heavy pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer over a low heat, stirring now and then, until the rice is very soft and most of the water is absorbed, 25 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Meanwhile, melt 9 oz chancaca with the rest of ¾ cup water in a small pan over a medium heat, stirring, until dissolved into a dark syrup, 5 minutes. Strain it.
5 minStep 3: Remove the spices from the rice. Stir in the syrup and 1 ¾ cups evaporated milk and cook over a low heat, stirring often, until the pudding is thick and creamy and coats the spoon, 15–20 minutes.
20 minStep 4: Stir in 2 ½ oz raisins, 1 ¾ oz desiccated coconut and ⅔ oz butter and cook for 3 more minutes, until the raisins plump.
3 minStep 5: Spoon into bowls or cups, scatter with 1 ⅜ oz pecans or walnuts if using and dust with ½ tsp ground cinnamon. Serve warm or at room temperature; it thickens as it cools.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 72 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arroz zambito take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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