Mango Rice Pudding
I was making a feast for friends: Chicken Korma, rice, naan, samosas, and for after, Dorothy Grant's garam masala pumpkin pie. But I knew some people wouldn't want pumpkin, so... I played in the kitchen.
Gathering ingredients. I only used about half that ginger thumb.
You will want to gather:
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced small
1 1/2 cup cooked rice
2 c milk
3 eggs
3-4 cardamom pods
1 star anise pod
1" piece of ginger, sliced thinly
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c brown sugar
ground cinnamon and nutmeg for sprinkling on the top (a couple of pinches)
Dab of butter (to grease pan)
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the milk and spices. Bring to just barely a simmer for about ten minutes. Stir in the sugar and salt until fully dissolved, heating for about another five minutes. Set aside to cool.
When the perfumed milk has cooled to lukewarm or room temperature, pour into high-sided mixing bowl (to allow space for whisking) through a sieve. Discard simmered spice pieces. Whisk the eggs into the milk solution thoroughly, until uniformly homogenous.
Grease a casserole dish (I used a 9" round with high sides) and put the diced mango into the bottom, spreading evenly. Put the cooked rice in, crumbling up any clumps of rice that may have formed. Pour the uncooked custard over all of this, and then sprinkled just a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg on top. You want this to be a kiss on the cheek, not a punch in the mouth of flavor.
Bake over a bain marie at 350 for 45-55 minutes, until there is no jiggle in the center and the edges are golden brown.
Would be very good served with a dollop of whipped cream, just a little warm. It is good served as-is, too!
The simmered spices did lovely things to the flavor of the mangoes, and the rice and custard are sweet without being rich in this one. I was quite happy with how it turned out! The end result is a nice firm rice pudding, no runniness at all. If you wanted more custard, reduce the rice here to a cup.
All in, ready to bake!
it comes out pretty for something that is low-fuss, low-muss!
And the eating begins!