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Arroz Doce

Local name : Arroz doce

Portuguese rice pudding scented with lemon, enriched with egg yolks and finished with cinnamon patterns drawn on top.

Gluten-free#rice#milk#lemon#cinnamon#dessert
Arroz Doce

Photo : Therese C · CC BY 2.0

Prep
10 min
Cook
45 min
Total
55 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy

Method

  1. Bring the water to the boil with the lemon zest, cinnamon stick and salt. Add the rice and cook uncovered for 12 minutes.
  2. Add the hot milk in three additions, waiting for each to be absorbed.
  3. Stir with a wooden spoon over low heat for 25 minutes. The rice should stay a little slack.
  4. Remove the zest and cinnamon stick, then stir in the sugar. Cook for another 5 minutes.
  5. Off the heat, whisk the yolks with two spoonfuls of the hot rice, then return the lot to the pan.
  6. Divide between shallow bowls and draw lines of ground cinnamon across the surface through a stencil or a paper strip.

Yolks set at 65 degrees. Tempering them first with a little hot rice keeps threads of cooked egg out of the finished pudding.

Nutrition · per serving

Calories
315 kcal
Protein
7.1 g
Fat
5.7 g
Carbohydrate
59.3 g
Fibre
1.7 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Which rice should I use?

A round grain, such as Portuguese carolino or a risotto rice. Those grains shed plenty of starch as they cook, and it is that starch, not any cream, that makes the dessert silky. Long grain rice stays dry and the grains float in the milk without thickening it.

Why cook the rice in water before adding the milk?

Rice hydrates faster and more evenly in the water infused with lemon and cinnamon. The milk only comes later, in three additions, which reduces the risk of it catching and scorching on the base of the pan during the long stirring.

It sets firm in the fridge. Is that normal?

Yes, the rice starch retrogrades in the cold and the texture stiffens noticeably. Loosen it by stirring in two or three spoonfuls of cold milk, then redraw the cinnamon pattern. Arroz doce keeps for three days in the fridge with cling film pressed to the surface.

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