Name: Greek Lemon Rice Pudding
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Cuisine: GreekEurope
Ingredients: 2 cups water; 1 cup Arborio rice; ½ teaspoon table salt; 1 vanilla bean; 4½ cups plant-based milk or dairy whole milk , plus extra as needed; ½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar; ½ cinnamon stick; 2 bay leaves; 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Why This Recipe Works

Rice puddings are found in cuisines all over the world, from India to Mexico. We especially love Greek-style rice pudding, which uses short-grain rice and is distinguished by its custardy and velvety-smooth texture and a hit of bright lemon flavor. We were delighted to discover that swapping in plant-based milk for dairy milk did not detract from our pudding's texture or taste. For the most appealing rice flavor and satisfyingly rich consistency, we cooked starchy short-grain Arborio rice in water and then added milk (plant-based or dairy) to make the pudding. Bay leaves, a traditional addition to Greek rice pudding, offered a balanced floral note. Adding the lemon zest off the heat ensured that its citrus notes weren't dulled by cooking. We adjusted the texture of the pudding just before serving so that it would be nicely thick and creamy but not heavy and to accommodate for the differences in texture and thickness among the different types of plant-based milks.

Instructions

Bring water to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in rice and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until water is almost fully absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using tip of paring knife, scrape out seeds. Stir vanilla bean and seeds, milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves into rice. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring often, until rice is soft and pudding has thickened to consistency of yogurt, 35 to 45 minutes.

Off heat, discard bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean. Stir in lemon zest. Transfer pudding to large bowl and let cool, about 2 hours. Stir pudding to loosen and adjust consistency with extra milk as needed. Serve at room temperature or chilled. (Pudding can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)