They say easy as a pie, I would say, easy as a rice pudding. This simple dish has many variation and names between continents and countries: Arroz con leche in Spanish, Budino di riso in Italian, Risogallo in Greek, Sütlaç in Turkish, Syltjash or Tameloriz in Albanian, Duadhapak in Indian and many many more.

The beauty of the rice pudding is that it is simple and lets you play with spices and toppings. Some of my favorite spices to add are cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom or vanilla. I love to top it with nuts like walnuts, almonds, pistachio etc.

This rice pudding recipe is the one I’ve grown up with, and I really love it. I’m really curious though to try the Indian rice pudding with saffron and nuts, so I guess will be talking about rice pudding again soon.

Serves: 8 persons

Ingredients

• 1.4 l milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup short grain rice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
• Cinnamon and walnuts to add on top

Note: 1 cup – a standard cup of 240 ml

Directions

1. Place a big and deep pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add milk and rice and bring to a boil.
3. Lower the heat to low and let it cook slowly until it gets thick and creamy, around 40 – 45 minutes.
4. Add sugar, vanilla, and cardamom and mix very well.
5. Let it cook for another 5-10 minutes.
6. Divided it in serving bowls and let it cool completely before putting it in the fridge.
7. Enjoy straight from the fridge with cinnamon and walnuts on top.