Quite the title, huh? Literally, it translates to "rice with milk of coconut and guava." Arroz con leche is a traditional dessert in many Latin American cuisines that we know of in English as rice pudding. I have no true memories of rice pudding other I was never a big fan of it. Typically made with short grain rice (like arborio, the rice of choice for risotto), it is purposefully overcooked for up to an hour to give it a consistency I can only describe as glop. The starches from the rice help to thicken the milk, and the grains themselves dissolve on contact. If I'm going to have dessert (which is almost always), chances are I am reaching for the molten chocolate cake with salted caramel drizzle instead.
So, why did I make rice pudding? I wanted to make it in a way that fit my expectations. I would much rather prefer something that feels like sweetened rice rather than porridge.
I'm also terrible at eating breakfast. A bowl of cereal, while satisfying, is never quite enough. I don't have it in me to break out a frying pan and cook eggs or sausage. And avocado toast gets old after a while. My solution was to make an appetizing, easy to reheat rice pudding flavored just the way I like it. This meant omitting some of the typical ingredients (sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk), replacing them with something less cloying (guava paste and coconut milk), and toying around with the cook time and proportions to ensure I was left with something that still resembled rice.
Notice how the rice grains are still in tact. The coconut milk and guava paste act as the "pudding" to hold everything together.
I know what you're thinking: this guy is obsessed with guava. I am. Deal with it. This isn't the last you've seen of guava on this blog. Go to your local Latin grocery and pick up a block of guava paste and learn how to use it. Your taste buds and local small businesses will thank you.
Now, there's a few wonderful benefits of this recipe.
Number One: It's vegan! This was a total accident, and I'm happy about it. Guava paste may look like it is held together by gelatin, but this delightful product becomes firm thanks to pectin, a naturally occurring polysaccharide found in many fruits like citrus, pear, and green apple. Guava is naturally high in pectin, and when combined with sugar, it transcends the "jelly" stage into straight-up solid.
Number Two: Only you're reducing the amount of sugar tremendously from standard rice pudding. Admittedly, guava paste is laden with sugar, but by replacing the traditional ingredients with guava paste, coconut milk, and fresh orange juice, you are slicing the sugar content by almost half!
Number Three: It microwaves beautifully. More often than not, Cuban rice pudding is served chilled, but there's something about a bowl of warm, sweet rice in the morning that feels like a welcoming hug to start the day right. I know rice pudding is technically supposed to be dessert, but a minute and a half in the ol' zapper with a splash of water and breakfast is served. Keep your favorite toppings chopped and ready to go for a speedy, comforting breakfast.
Number Four: It photographs nicely. Instagram will be very impressed by your millennial pink rice.
Now what are you waiting for? You deserve rice pudding!
With breakfast for days,
~c.j.
GUAVA COCONUT RICE PUDDING
PREP TIME: 2 minutes
ACTIVE COOK TIME: 25 minutes
INACTIVE COOK TIME: 15 minutes
YIELD: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 medium orange
1 1/2 c. long grain rice
1 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick
250 g guava paste (roughly 8 3/4 oz), cut into centimeter blocks
1 13.5-fl oz (400 g) can coconut milk
any garnishes your heart desires (photographed: diced mango, toasted coconut strips, roasted salted cashews, rose jelly)
DIRECTIONS
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel of the orange and add to a 4 quart pot (don't throw away the orange!) with the rice, salt, and cinnamon stick. Stay with me here: stick your index finger in the bottom of the pot and slowly fill with water until water reaches the first knuckle joint in your finger (or water is roughly level reaches roughly a centimeter from the bottom of the pot). Set the pot over medium heat and bring to a bare simmer, then cover, reduce to low, and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Rice will be al dente and not fully cooked when finished -- that's because we will finish cooking it in the pudding!
While rice is cooking, add guava paste, coconut milk, and juice from the reserved orange to a medium sauce pot, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir constantly, using the back of a spoon to smash the guava paste against the inside edge of the pot. Continue until all or almost all guava paste has dissolved and mixture is millennial pink, about 10-15 minutes.
Discard cinnamon stick and orange peel from the rice. Gently fluff the rice with a fork. Place a fine mesh strainer over the rice pot, and pour the coconut guava mixture into the rice. Use the back of a spoon to press any additional guava solids through.
Return the rice pudding to medium heat, and stir until rice is fully cooked - about 5-10 minutes. (Regular rice pudding would cook for up to an hour at this stage, but I don't like the mushy texture and would rather have it feel more like sweetened rice. If you want something a bit more authentic in terms of texture, you can keep it cooking up to an hour stirring frequently.)
Rice pudding is best served warm and garnished! Refrigerate leftovers.
REHEATING INSTRUCTIONS: Dish rice pudding into a microwave save bowl with a splash of water. Place a damp paper towel over the bowl and microwave on high for 90 seconds. Stir to incorporate the water and restore its pudding texture, and enjoy!