Grandma's Coconut Rice Pudding

This week I was hired to do a post for Minute Rice.  Since this is not a savory blog, I knew right away that I would make my Grandmother's Coconut Rice Pudding.  I can remember eating this putting as a toddler all the way up to my teens.  It was always a family favorite on Holidays and special occasions.  No one made it as great as my Grandmother did. Grandma could make even a simple dinner of chicken and rice taste amazing.  Everything she made had a little somethin' somethin' that made it so fabulous you were always craving more.  You could never quite put your finger on the exact flavors she used, making it extra hard to duplicate considering she hardly ever wrote down her recipes.   But lucky for you (and for me) she did write down her fabulous Coconut Rice Pudding recipe.  I was excited to get started and smell my childhood permeate through the kitchen and send me down memory lane.  Grandma used long grain rice that soaked overnight in a spiced broth, so I knew I had some tweaking to do since I planned on using Minute Rice to make a more convenient and time saving version of this fabulous dessert.  It took me three tries to develop a recipe for Grandma's Coconut pudding but I finally did it.  This pudding is rich and tropical thanks to the evaporated milk and cream of coconut and has a kick due to the amazing combination of fresh Ginger, Cloves, Cinnamon Sticks and Anise Seeds.  I would say that's a little somthin' somthin' that makes this Rice Pudding recipe really stand out from the rest.  Grab yourself some Minute Rice and the other ingredients and get started on a dessert that will soon be your family's favorite.   

You'll start with Cinnamon Sticks, Anise Seed, Whole Cloves and fresh Ginger

Add the spices to the evaporated milk, milk and cream of coconut and simmer.  These ingredients are what gives this recipe that little somethin' somethin'  and makes it stand out from the rest.  Your house will smell amazing too.

   Plump juicy Raisins are my favorite in this dish.  You could leave them out if you prefer

 (shh..I didn't tell you that)

Top if off with fresh graded Cinnamon and dig right in!  Your taste buds will thank you.

Grandma's Coconut Rice Pudding
recipe created by Dina Crowell of Buttercream Bakehouse

Ingredients for broth,

1 1/2 cups cream of coconut ( cocoa loco)
1 8oz. can evaporated milk
3 cups of whole milk
3-5 medium to large sticks of cinnamon
1 tablespoon anise seed
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 small/medium piece whole fresh Ginger, peeled

remaining ingredients,

2 cups Minute Rice, uncooked
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup of water

For broth,

In a large sauce pan, simmer the first 7 ingredients on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Do not boil.  

Drain broth over a sieve or strainer over a large stock pot.  Place the cinnamon sticks back in the broth.  These will stay in the pot and cook with the remaining ingredients until the rice pudding is finished.

Remaining ingredients,

Add remaining ingredients except for the water.  Raise heat to medium high and boil for 40 minutes, stirring constantly.  Lower heat to medium heat if mixture begins to rise in pan.  The mixture will begin to thicken as it cooks. 

Add 1 cup of water after 20 minutes or mixture is very thick.  Stir and bring back to a boil for the remainder of the cooking time or until the pudding is thick. You are looking for pudding consistency and for the rice to be cooked thoroughly.

Add cinnamon and stir.  Pour in individual serving dishes and refrigerate until completely cooled.  Sprinkle with a dash more cinnamon for garnish.  

Makes 6-8 cups of Rice Pudding

Minute® Rice is so quick and easy to prepare and is great pantry staple. When meal time seems like a hassle, Minute® Rice is a go-to ingredient your whole family will love and allows you to have more quality time doing what your want with your loved ones.

Leftover rotisserie chicken or veggies from a meal earlier in the week? Minute® Rice can easily be paired with some of your leftover ingredients to make a quick, easy and wholesome meal your whole family will love in just a matter of minutes.

Visit http://www.minuterice.com/ to create a great main meal or side dish for your next family get-together or potluck.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Rice.