Jasmine Rice Pudding

Rice pudding, the world’s favorite comfort food gets a Thai infusion in this recipe with the intoxicating pandanus herb. These slender leaves infuse their subtle aroma to this after dinner dish. Since most people are used to traditional rice pudding with dried fruits and nuts, go ahead and be creative. For me, if anything, I like some fresh mangos, pineapple, or lychees. The crowning glory of roasted cashews or toasted shredded coconut add a crunchy roasted flavor.

Serves 4–6
 Preparation time: 5 mins
 Cooking time: 40 mins

1 cup (225 g) uncooked jasmine rice

3½ cups (850 ml) milk

4 cups (1 liter) coconut milk (divided use)

1 cup (200 g) sugar

1 tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt

6 pandanus leaves

½ cup (75 g) toasted cashews and/or coconut

1 Place the rice in a strainer, rinse until almost clear—about 30 seconds.

2 Stir the milk, 3 cups (750 ml) of the coconut milk, the sugar and salt together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.

3 Stir in the rice and bring the mixture back to a boil. Lower the heat to low-medium and gently simmer for about 30 minutes until the rice is cook, stirring often to prevent scorching at the bottom. Stir in the remaining coconut milk and pandanus leaves, let it steep until room temperature. Remove the pandanus leaves, squeezing out all the liquid into the sauce. Discard the leaves.

4 Spoon the pudding into serving bowls and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Top with the toasted nuts and/or coconut before serving.

Coconut Pudding with Seasonal Fruit

These boil and chill puddings are a snap to make ahead of time. Small, pan fried, or steamed coconut custards are found in Thailand, but to make this simpler version I recalled my time cooking in Hawaii. I was always fond of simple Haupia, their coconut sweet snack, that they make very firm and cut into pieces. This recipe creates a spoonable custard so I leave it in the small bowl and top it with seasonal fruit—diced tropical fruits like pineapple, mango, and banana are guaranteed winners, but don’t hesitate to try other fruits like ripe kiwis, peaches, or plums. Try it with the Caramel Sauce (page 106).

Serves 4–6
 Preparation time: 5 mins
 Cooking time: 15 mins + chilling time

2 cups (500 ml) coconut milk

¾ cup (180 ml) water

6 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup (35 g) cornstarch

1 cup (225 g) diced seasonal fruit (pineapple, mango, bananas etc)

1 Whisk the coconut milk, water, sugar, and cornstarch together in a small saucepan until smooth. Heat over medium-high heat while gently whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from the heat, spoon/pour into small bowls, cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

2 Serve with a topping or side bowl of diced seasonal fruit.