Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Ingredients
- 4 ¼ cups (1 liter) whole milk (if you are allergic to dairy products, go for a thick coconut or soy milk as it offers a rich texture and flavor a typical Rizogalo should have)
- ½ cup any small-grain rice like Arborio (uncooked and unrinsed)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A 2-inch strip lemon rind (you may choose to skip it if you are averse to citrus and milk flavor together)
- Zest of ¼ orange (you may choose to skip it if you are averse to citrus and milk flavor together)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3-4 drops rose water
- Ground cinnamon (for garnish)
Cooking Instructions for How to Make Lebanese Spinach Fatayer
How to Make Rizogalo Greek Rice Pudding
- Add the milk, rice, cinnamon stick, lemon rind, and orange zest in a medium saucepan. With a small knife, split the vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the pan and discard the pod (if you are using vanilla extract, do not add it at this stage).
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over low to medium heat. Whisk continuously so that the milk and rice do not stick to the bottom of the pot. Whisk almost without a break for the first 4-5 minutes.
- Now, continue to cook rice, only whisking it every 5 minutes. Continue to cook for about 35- 40 minutes or until the rice is very tender and the mixture starts to thicken. To check if the rice is cooked, taste a rice grain. It should be very soft to bite, a stage beyond al dente. Another indicator is that the consistency of the milk should have become thick just like heavy cream.
- Now, add 3-4 drops of rose water.
- Next, dilute the cornstarch with ¼ cup of water in a small bowl. Pour it into the rice mixture over low heat, whisking continuously until combined. The pudding will thicken quickly (within 2-3 minutes). Keep an eye on it as it should not get thickened to a non-pourable consistency. It should be very well liquidy as it will thicken a little more as it cools. So do not make it too thick.
- Remove from heat and discard the lemon rind and cinnamon stick. Add the sugar and lemon zest and mix well to combine. Taste and adjust the sugar if needed.
- Pour the pudding into serving bowls and sprinkle ground cinnamon. Enjoy warm or chilled, per your preference!
Nutrition Facts (Rizogalo Greek Rice Pudding)
- Calories: 281.5 kcal (one out of 5 serves)
- Carbohydrates: 40.8 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Sugar: 18.7 g
- Protein: 10.2 g
- Fat: 8.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.9 g
- Cholesterol: 31.1 mg
- Vitamin A: 423.3 IU
- Vitamin C: 2 mg
- Sodium: 99.3 mg
- Potassium: 415.7 mg
- Calcium: 330.6 mg
- Iron: 1.2 mg
Note: This recipe could be made solely with cinnamon, rose water and vanilla flavor, leaving out the lemony and orangy flavor in case of non-conformity of blending tastes. It tastes equally yummy.
