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Manjar blanco del Valle
Milk and rice sweet
Manjar blanco: Valle del Cauca's slow-cooked Christmas milk and rice sweet
In the Valle del Cauca around Cali, Christmas means stirring manjar blanco: whole milk, sugar and a little ground rice cooked down for hours, traditionally in a big copper pan (paila) over a wood fire, until it turns into a thick, pale-caramel paste. It is served in totumo gourd bowls with buñuelos and natilla, or with a slice of fresh cheese. It is gluten free and keeps a week in the fridge. Chef's tip: soak and blend the rice to a fine paste first, which gives manjar blanco its smooth body without lumps.
- Total time
- 225 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ oz white ricesoaked in water for 2 hours
- 12 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 ⅛ lb granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 pinch salt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 1 ¾ oz white rice and blend with 250 ml of 1 cup whole milk to a very fine liquid.
5 minStep 2: Put the rest of 11 ½ cups whole milk in your widest heavy pan with 1 ⅛ lb granulated sugar, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 pinch salt, and bring to the boil, stirring. The soda stops the milk curdling.
Step 3: Stir in the rice liquid and cook at a lively simmer, stirring every few minutes with a long wooden spoon, for about 2½ hours. It will reduce and slowly turn ivory, then pale caramel.
150 minStep 4: For the last 30–45 minutes stir constantly, scraping the base, as it thickens fast. A common mistake is leaving it now: it scorches in seconds.
40 minStep 5: It is ready when you can see the base of the pan for 2–3 seconds as you drag the spoon across, and a little dropped on a cold plate holds its shape. Remove the cinnamon.
Step 6: Spoon into bowls or a dish and cool. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does manjar blanco del Valle take?
- About 225 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 210 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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.
- 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 white rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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