Greek Rice Pudding
And culinary memories
There are dishes that you just can’t get out of your head. Regardless of when you last ate them, whether last week or twenty years ago – the memory of their taste is immediately available to you. My culinary memory is full of such dishes. The matcha tart that I had in Paris over twenty years ago, the chocolate mousse, which was generously spooned onto the plate in a small French restaurant, the coriander sauce on the beach on Gomera, the lemon ice cream in my aunt’s Spanish village, the Vietnamese soup in Berlin … One of those memorial dishes is the Greek rice pudding that I ate during a summer vacation in Greece when I was 18 years old. My boyfriend and I were traveling from island to island with little money, a backpack and a tent.
The fact that my boyfriend entered every island with a greenish complexion because he regularly got seasick during the crossing, was immediately forgotten when we entered the first tavern. We ate Greek salad and grilled fish, and for dessert we had cooled rice pudding with cinnamon. I was immediately taken by the consistency of the Greek rice pudding because it stays very creamy even when cold. The Greeks not only use milk (almond milk in my recipe), but also water for the preparation and then mix the whole thing with corn starch.
And yes, no matter where I am, this rice pudding catapults me immediately back to the small, wobbly tavern table, with a view of the sea and a glistening sun that is filtered through the thatched roof. The heat is scorching, the waves are lapping and the rice pudding is wonderful. This is the taste of life!
And now my question for you: Is your culinary memory also full of beloved dishes? Would you like to share any of these memories? Then I look forward to your comment under this post!
GREEK RICE PUDDING
Ingredients
For the rice pudding:
- 80 g short grain rice for rice pudding
- 400 ml unsweetened almond milk
- 400 ml water
- 3 tbsp maple syrup grade A or C
- 1/2 grated peel of untreated lemon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 20 g corn starch
To sprinkle:
- 1 tbsp coconut blossom sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Put the rice in a sieve and wash. Measure out half of the almond milk and bring to a simmer together with rice, water, maple syrup, lemon zest and salt. Reduce the heat a little and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the rice is firm to the bite.
- Remove 2 tablespoons of the remaining other half of the almond milk and stir in a bowl with cornstarch until smooth. Add the rest of the almond milk to the rice in the saucepan and then stir in the mixed cornstarch with a whisk. Let simmer for 1 minute while continuing to stir.
- Divide the rice pudding into small bowls and refrigerate. To serve, mix coconut blossom sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle the rice pudding with it.
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