Indian Brown Rice Pudding

Indian Brown Rice Pudding by DK on Feb 28, 2011

We all know the benefits of brown rice, so I am not going to bore you to death by listing it out. The point of this post is to tell you what a good girl I have been by buying a huge bag of brown rice. What I don't want to tell you but forced to is that I have not been as diligent in using them promptly! I get so excited whenever I visit Whole Foods - like a kid lost in toy land. Items one after the other end up in my cart and eventually in my pantry. I try out few ingredients for the next few days and then it dwindles to the usual fare. Those "healthy" stuff get ignored. So in my new goal of finishing up my pantry items, I listed out the ingredients that I was going to use and Brown rice was among them.

I had been meaning to try brown rice pudding for ages. I love the traditional Indian Rice pudding and so naturally was curious how this one would turn out to be. It was yummy. I would normally have used Short grained brown rice for this but since I had only the medium grain (Now I did not want to buy short grain just to make this and add it to my 'chuck-your-pantry-items" list! Totally would beat the purpose, right? But it was delicious. I could eat it instead of the meal. It was that good. It did not make me think "Nutrition" or "health food". It just made my palate light up with the first spoon! I added only about 4-5 tbsp of sugar (I think!) since we like it with less sweet along with using 2% milk (that's what I had on hand) so it also turned out to be a low calorie treat. Next time you want to enjoy a guilt free dessert after dinner, make this! Its so totally worth it :)

Cook time: 30 min to 1 hour
Prep time: 30 min to 1 hour
Serves: 4 people

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice (short grain works best. This time I used medium for this but the result was still satisfactory)
3 cups 2% milk (use soy milk for vegan option)
2 cups water
1/4 - 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
generous pinch of saffron
sugar to taste ( use honey or any other sweetener)
couple of tbsp of sliced and toasted almonds and pistachio nuts

Method

1. I soak the grain usually for 30min to 1 hour. This is optional but I personally find that it reduces the cooking time considerably.

2. Heat the water in a saucepan and then add the rice.

3. Bring it to a boil.

4. You will find in about 10-15 min most of the water has been absorbed by the rice.

5. Now add in the milk, bring down the heat to low-med, cover partially and let it cook for another 10-15min. Take care to stir it on and off, so that it does not stick to the bottom.

6. Add the sugar, saffron, spices and give it a stir.

7. Cook for another 10 min until the rice is tender. You will also see that most of the milk has been absorbed. You can add in additional milk, if required at the time of serving.

Garnish with toasted sliced almonds and Pistachios (or any other nuts you prefer). I am assuming that this process can be quickened by using pressure cooker and cooking the brown rice with milk. I haven't tried it yet personally though I follow that method to make my Indian rice pudding.

I also think that you can further make this creamier by adding evaporated milk and add raisins too. This makes for a hearty guilt free pudding which is nutritious to boot. Sending this over to Siri's WWC: Brown Rice event

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4 Member Reviews

By Bharati on Oct 14, 2012

Thanks for sharing this yummylicious but healthy dessert !! Tried a few variations to the receipe which I thought worked well - at least for me :-)))

1) Pressure cooked it for 2 whistles with a combination of water and milk. Was just the right consistency and evenly cooked without being too soggy and the cooking time was 15 mins.

2) Substituted sugar with jaggery. Nice wholesome flavor and golden hue.

3) Added a tablespoon of condensed milk in the end just before taking off from the fire for a more creamier texture and flavor.

By Gracelin on Nov 10, 2011

wow came out real yummy . .thanks for sharing ..

Read All 4 Reviews →

30 Comments

By Mary on Aug 9, 2015

was never a fan of sweet rice but recently have grown fond of Indian rice pudding. Want to try this and am wondering how it will cook in a rice cooker. I'll let you know but must go and soak my rice now!

By Lynda Mathieson on Aug 29, 2014

This recipe is lovely. I usually do white rice pudding in the oven, takes two hours. Do you think I could do the same with the brown and how much would I have to adjust cooking times? Thank you.

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By Trish on Mar 20, 2012

This is finishing up on the stove now. The flavors are DELICIOUS (I added cinnamon, because I'm a fool for cinnamon), but I'm finding mine needs quite a bit more cooking time than the recipe calls for. I'm using organic, short grain brown rice which normally takes 45 minutes in water. I've done about that now, altogether. That's ok, I've been sneaking tastes, and it really does taste great. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

This is one of my fav. too :) I am glad to see you share the love as well :) Thank you for the feedback. :) --DK

By Valerie on Aug 6, 2011

For those who have asked, 2% milk is just that ... 2% butterfat in the milk. Here (in Canada) we have skim, 1%, 2%, and homogenized milk. Anything above that in butterfat is cream.

By Fiona on Jul 29, 2011

I haven't tried this recipe but I imagine that 2% milk means low fat or milk with only 2% fat.

By brown rice pudding with adzuki beans and calendula | Eating Pansies on Jun 16, 2011

[...] a hit of protein to this typically carb-ful treat. I was inspired by a lovely looking recipe for indian brown rice pudding with saffron and other indian desserts like sweet pongal and moong dal halwa – both combine rice and [...]

By HNM on Mar 29, 2011

hey i love all your recipes, they are fabulous. I just saw this brown rice pudding recipe and am so going to try it but only after you explain what 2%milk is. I have no idea what that is? where can i get it?

By torviewtoronto on Mar 6, 2011

delicious rice pudding looks wonderful

By Anu on Mar 4, 2011

Girlfriend! I get you when you say you get excited at Whole Foods - I too act like a bull in a china shop there - so excited that I literally knock things off the shelf! This little ramekin of pudding is so perfect for a sunday lunch dessert leading to a nice siesta in the afternoon. What's wrong in wishing!

By Cynthia on Mar 3, 2011

I think that I am going to be making some brown-rcie pudding and feel a little less guilty :-D

By Madhuram on Mar 1, 2011

Hi Dhivi, hope you are doing great with your little one. I have tried this pudding with soymilk and have wanted to try our South Indian version too using pressure cooker like somebody else has mentioned here. The photos look very good. Regarding soaking brown rice, I recently came to know that its not optional but a must. Check Jai & Bee's post. Actually I have been soaking brown rice overnight for the past couple of months now and I was very glad to know that what I have been doing for ease of use indeed is the right way to do it. Will call you one of these days.

By Chef Shana on Mar 1, 2011

:wink: will try this one next month on my blog!

By Neelam Saxena on Mar 1, 2011

Hey!! Making kheer with brown rice is a healthier option. Will surely try this rice...Hope it tastes as good as the white rice version :) One suggestion: pressure cooking the rice with milk reduces the cooking time as well as blends the rice and milk very well.

By CurryLeaf on Mar 1, 2011

Looks GREAT DK. Have tried and loved kheer with brown rice or the rosematta rice .Healthier than the white rice version.

By Nishi on Mar 1, 2011

This looks beautiful DK. The rice pudding is my favourite dessert. Would love to try the same with brown rice. :)

By Bhuvaneshwari on Mar 1, 2011

hi dhivya, can i try this with broken wheat??? i am not allowed to eat rice/ rice products... even brown rice is a no-no on my diet :(

By sowmya on Feb 28, 2011

looks delicious..am going to try this soon..I have already tried your version of pal payasam before..

By sreelu on Feb 28, 2011

Boy DK, your post got me all drooling all I wish for now is to have a spoonful. Looks so decadent and rich yum !!

By Martha on Feb 28, 2011

:) This is inspiring me to try it with SILK Coconut Milk. Also, I dextrinize my brown rice before cooking it (lightly toasting it in a dry pan). Then I let it soak in the water for a few hours before cooking it. Results in richer flavor & texture. Quinoa would be good in this, too!

By Sandya on Feb 28, 2011

I'm going to try this today! Looks yummylicious! I have some organic red rice in my pantry... thinking of giving red rice a make over with either turning it into a pudding like th eone baove or a risotto... hmmmm... love ur site BTW :)

By Vaishali on Feb 28, 2011

Looks super delicious! Lovely treat!

By Vimitha on Feb 28, 2011

That is perfect and delicious.

By Nurishah on Feb 28, 2011

Just discovered your site and love it. Have you tried this with Quinoa?

By jaya on Feb 28, 2011

Hii i eat brown regularly..never thought of making pudding!..it looks yummy.. will try it out soon! :)

By Siri on Feb 28, 2011

Yeh! You did it. now I hope you would continue to eat brown rice from now on.. :lol: :wink: . the pudding looks yummilicious.. Hugs, Siri P.S - You didn't call at 4:15 the other day. :evil: :evil:

By Priya on Feb 28, 2011

Feel like grabbing a bowl of tempting rice pudding,truly drooling here..

By Anju on Feb 28, 2011

Hi! This looks lovely. I have quite a bit of brown basmati in the pantry. Can I use that in this recipe?

Yes you can..but u probably wud have to cook longer to get it to that creamy consistency...