Quick Rice Pudding (Payesh)

Rice pudding is universal comfort food. Usually it is very labour intensive to make, takes a long time standing by the cooker and stirring continuously to thicken the milk without burning. This is my version, it is quick, no standing over by the cooker and stirring for ages. It is also very different than most rice pudding because I use sticky rice (Binni-vat) and palm sugar.

8 Servings

Ingredients:

1. Evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk, see picture) 1 can (410 ml)
2. Cream 1 cup (or 300 ml as it comes in a tub)
3. Sugar or Jaggery (Palm sugar / Gur) to taste (1/4 to 1/2 cup) 
4. 1/2 tsp Salt
5. Sticky rice 1 cup 
6. Saffron / Rosewater (optional)

Make the Milk mixture:

• Mix 1+2+3+4 > Taste and adjust sweetness and flavour.

Cook Rice

• Cook 1 cup Sticky Rice in 3 cups of water in rice cooker 
• If you don't have a rice cooker; cook on medium heat > Bring to simmer > Cover and simmer on very low heat for 30 mins or until all water is absorbed. 
• or you can cook in microwave > 1 cup sticky rice + 3 cups hot water in a microwave-proof bowl > cook for 10-15 minutes depending on the power of the micro.

Bake in the oven:

• Pre-heat the oven to 150c
• Mix the hot rice with the Milk mixture and pour in an oven-proof dish.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Take it out and let it cool > chill.

* Make it one day ahead, remember rice pudding thicken with time, so if it looks too runny, don't worry, tomorrow it will be in right consistency. If it is too thick for your liking, next time add more evaporated milk and adjust the sweetness. Soon you will come up with your perfect recipe!

Variations: You can replace cream with coconut milk. You can add desiccated coconut, sultanas and garnish with chopped pistachios, choice is yours.