When you’re feeling a tad down in the dumps, there’s nothing better than a little warm creamy sweetness to get your happy pheromones jumping :o)
Rice pudding does the trick
I’m in Turkey and midway through my month long hiatus from reality (aka work and responsibilities) when I started feeling a little anxious.
The thoughts like, “What the hell am I doing? I can’t just leave for a month? I have a life back home, emails to return, clients to cook for, responsibilities, bills to pay” started haunting me.
We had plans to go horseback riding in an hour and I knew I needed to calm my nerves before hopping on a horse.
At this point my stomach is turning, though I hadn’t eaten all day, and the only thing sounding appetizing is a bowl of creamy rice goodness.
Luckily for me, this is a specialty in Turkey and sold at every corner bakery.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup short grain pudding rice (I used sweet rice) rinsed thoroughly under running water
8 cups full fat milk
1-2 t vanilla extract
2 T rice flour
*Get creative with this: chopped nuts on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Use coconut milk and sprinkle with shredded coconut
Place the pudding rice in a deep, heavy pan, pour in enough water to just cover the rice and bring to the boil.
Lower the heat and simmer the mixture for 5-6 minutes, until the water has been absorbed
Pour in the milk and bring to the boil, stirring, then lower the heat and simmer until liquid begins to thickens
Add the sugar, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved, then stir in the vanilla a simmer for a further 15-20 minutes
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400
In a small bowl, moisten the rice flour with a little water to make a smooth paste
Stir in a spoonful of the hot liquid
Add the rice flour mixture to the pan of rice, stirring all the time to prevent lumps
Once the liquid has thickened a little, transfer the mixture to a large ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, until the pudding is lightly browned on top
Remove the pudding from the oven to cool, allowing a skin to form on top
Cals: 365, Protein: 12, Carbs: 50, Fat: 13
