I had a hard time deciding which second sweet treat (first was Pear Beignets with Rosemary Sugar and Pear Anglaise) to share from Full of Flavor: 18 Ingredients…Endless Possibilities (Kyle Books USA, April 2013) by Maria Elia …
Apple buckwheat pancakes sounded good before the week-end, Cherry ripe tart spelled summer, i went with third choice that can be served with apricots for dessert or as is for breakfast.
Masala Chai
Rice Pudding
I’ve taken
chai to another level here by using it as the base for a light rice
pudding. It’s delicious with Earl Roasted Apricots (recipe #86) or
chocolate. I also to eat this pudding cold for breakfast. Serves 4
For the chai:
4 green cardamom
pods
4 cloves
1 cinnamon
stick, lightly crushed
3cm piece of
fresh ginger, sliced
4 black
peppercorns
4 tbsp black tea
leaves
50g palm sugar,
jaggery or caster sugar
250ml milk
For the rice
pudding:
200g pudding
rice
25g butter,
diced
20g cornflour
250ml milk
50g palm sugar,
jaggery or caster sugar (optional)
To make the
chai, lightly crush the cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon with a
pestle and mortar.
Put 750ml water
in a saucepan and add the crushed spices, ginger and black
peppercorns. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for a few
minutes. Remove from the heat, add the tea and leave to infuse for
5–10 minutes.
Add the sugar
and milk to the pan, return to the heat and bring almost to a boil.
Remove from the heat and leave to steep for 4–5 minutes, before
straining.
To make the
pudding, place the rice, chai and butter in a medium sized saucepan
and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer,
stir and cover. Cook over a low heat for about 25 minutes, stirring
occasionally, until the rice is tender.
Mix together the
cornflour and milk to form a smooth paste. Once the rice is cooked,
stir in the cornflour mixture, bring back to the boil and cook for a
further 5 minutes, stirring continuously. For a sweeter rice pudding,
stir in the optional sugar of your choice until dissolved. Serve
immediately.
Variations
• Experiment
with different flavour teas such as jasmine, Earl Grey or ginger, for
example.
(* Recipe from 'Full of Flavor' by Maria Elia- published by Kyle Books USA, April 2013- reproduced with permission- Photography by Jonathan Gregson)