Arroz con Dulce (Coconut Rice Pudding)

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: Latin American, Puerto Rican/Hispanic

Keyword: arroz, pudding, rice

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1

soaking time: 2

Total Time: 3 10

Servings:

Calories: 678kcal

Begin soaking your rice a few hours ahead. Serve chilled or warm.

5 cups (1.18 liters) coconut milk or 3 15 ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
3 3-inch cinnamon sticks
5 cardamom pods optional
2 star anise
1/2 teaspoon allspice berries or 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves or 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup, packed (225 grams) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons (3 grams) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (5 grams) ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon (2 grams) ground nutmeg
pinch kosher salt optional
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (110 grams) dark raisins see note for swaps
1/2 cup (40 grams) coconut flakes toasted
1/2 medium (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) lime juice or 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) orange blossom water
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) heavy cream or coconut milk (optional for creamier arroz con dulce)

Rinse the rice in a colander under cold running water.
Transfer the rinsed rice to a large mixing bowl and cover it with at 5 cups of cold water.
Allow the rice to soak for at least 2, but no longer than 12 hours.
After soaking, remove 2 cups of the soaking water and set it aside. Drain the rest of the water from the rice and set the rice aside.

Pour the coconut milk and 1 cup of the reserved rice water into a 4-quart dutch oven or caldero. Add the cinnamon sticks to the liquid in the pot.
Fill a tea strainer or a piece of cheesecloth with the cardamom, star anise, allspice berries, and cloves then attach it to the side of your pot with a piece of butcher's twine or its chain.
Bring the coconut milk up to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
Once the coconut milk starts to simmer, turn the stove off and allow the spices to infuse coconut milk with their flavors for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the spice sachet from the pot and discard the spices.
Turn the stove back up to medium heat. Stir the drained rice into the pot of coconut milk with a wooden spoon.
Allow the coconut milk to come to a gentle simmer, stirring after 5 minutes.
Once the milk forms small bubbles that barely break the surface, reduce the heat to low and stir the rice thoroughly.
Set a timer for 20 minutes.
Stir the rice every 5 minutes to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot and scorching. Be sure to keep the coconut milk from simmering or boiling. The surface of the milk should steam, but there should be no bubbles breaking the surface.
After 20 minutes of gentle cooking, the rice will begin to peek through the surface of the milk when you stir it and sound like the gentle rustling of a newspaper.

Stir the sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract into the pot.
Continue cooking the mixture on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you find that the mixture is thickening a bit too much, thin it with more coconut milk or the reserved rice water, a 1/2 cup at a time.
Next, stir in the raisins and toasted coconut flakes.
Continue cooking the rice pudding on low heat for an additional 10 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

Once the cooking time has elapsed, turn the stove off.
Squeeze the juice of half a lime into the arroz con dulce. After adding the lime juice, taste it and add more spices to suit your taste.
To serve the arroz con dulce traditionally: refrigerate the arroz con dulce for 3-4 hours until thoroughly chilled. Slice (or spoon) and serve!
For very thick, cake-like arroz con dulce: spoon the warm rice pudding into a buttered cake pan (8"x8"). Use the back of your spoon to compact the rice in the pan, then cover the dish with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until completely chilled, then cut and serve.
For a creamier rice pudding: allow the rice pudding to cool completely. Once cool, stir in the heavy cream, or, if you want to keep it vegan, more coconut milk.
To serve, sprinkle more ground cinnamon over your servings of arroz con dulce, or top with more raisins, toasted coconut, or whipped cream.

Instead of dark raisins: try sultanas, dried cranberries, cherries, chopped apricots or dates.
Try these rice varieties: jasmine, basmati, arborio, or long-grain instead of medium-grain.
Replace the lime juice: with orange juice, lemon juice or 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of orange blossom water or orange extract.
Make it vegan: by replacing the heavy cream with coconut cream or additional coconut milk.
Replace the coconut milk: with cow's milk, almond milk, or soy milk.

Tips and Techniques:

Fresh coconut milk is not as thick as canned coconut milk. As a result, it takes precisely 20 minutes for my rice to be al dente. When using canned coconut milk, the mixture may thicken faster, without cooking the rice to al dente. Taste a grain or two of rice after the 20 minute cook time is finished. If it is hard (like biting into a carrot), add 1- 1 1/2 cups of water to the pot. To allow you more liquid in which to simmer your rice until it offers just a "snap" of resistance when you bite into a grain.
How long you soaked the rice also determines how long it will take to get to al dente. If you opted not to soak or soaked for less than 2 hours, it might take 40 minutes to cook instead of 20.
If you soaked it for 2 hours and, after 20 minutes, your rice hasn't absorbed the milk properly, simmer it for an additional 10-15 minutes. Test after that time to check for rice that is al dente.
To serve this rice pudding for breakfast, heat half-cup of milk to steaming and stir it into the pudding.

Store the arroz con dulce in a covered container in the fridge for 5 days.
When serving leftovers, try to avoid keeping them on the countertop for longer than possible.