Coming soon: fully plant-based option…but needs more testing and test subjects;)

I grew up eating rice pudding around this time of year (i.e. the colder months). Tis a comfort dessert that makes me feel loved with every lil bite. This version here is roughly how I grew up eating it, with some small modifications.

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Ingredients (with dairy)

• Whole milk (I use lactose-free) 8 cups (up to 10, but I prefer a thicker consistency)
• Calrose rice (medium short grain) 1 cup
• Cinnamon sticks (1-2)
• A tiny bit of star anise
• Sugar (3/4 cup, cause i like not too sweet)
• Butter (half a stick)
• A bit of salt

For the end:

• 1 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon

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Directions

Get two pots. One small, one big.

Cook ya rice in the small pot with a cup of water, boil it til it absorbs all the water. It won’t be fully cooked & that’s great.

In the meantime, pour all the milk into a separate pot, along with cinnamon sticks, about 1/2 teaspoon of star anise, half stick of butter, that bit of salt, and sugar, and bring it to a boil. Once the rice in the other pot has absorbed all the water, add in the rice to the milk. Bring it all to a boil, then to a simmer. The key to making it is to keep an eye on the whole thing so it doesn’t stick to your pot, stir frequently, and watch it. Once it’s all in there, it’ll need to cook together for about an hour. From then, it depends on how you want the texture of the rice, and how much you want to reduce the milk. My family prefers there to be a bit of a bite to the rice, so I keep an eye on it and stir it pretty often within that hour, and then turn off the heat. The milk should have reduced a bit, and there should be a bit of a bite. Once the heat is off, add in the vanilla extract, and serve with ground cinnamon sprinkled on top.