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Coconut Rice Pudding

Coconut Rice Pudding

  • Makes
    4 to 6 servings
  • Cook Time
    1¼ hours
  • Active time plus cooling
    plus cooling

This dessert combines some of the flavorings of kheer, or Indian rice pudding, with the tropical notes of coconut milk and the ultra-creamy texture of Italian risotto. A sharp vegetable peeler is the best way to remove a nice, wide strip of zest from the orange. But if lots of the bitter white pith is on the backside of the strip, trim off as much as you can with a paring knife before adding the zest to the pot. The pudding is delicious warm, or it can be made up to three days in advance and chilled. If it has been refrigerated for more than a few hours, let it stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

Tip

Don't use light coconut milk; it will result in thin, watery flavor. Also, don't rinse the rice for longer than 20 seconds or so. This way, the grains retain much of their surface starch and the pudding will cook up creamy.

Ingredients
  • ¼

    cup white sugar

  • ½

    teaspoon kosher salt

  • ¼

    teaspoon ground cardamom, plus more to serve

  • 1

    13½-ounce can coconut milk

  • ½

    cup Arborio rice, briefly rinsed, then drained

  • 4

    inch strip orange zest, white pith removed (see note)

  • 2

    teaspoons vanilla extract

  • ⅓

    cup shelled roasted, salted pistachios, roughly chopped

Step 1

Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, salt and cardamom; set aside. In a large (6- to 8-quart) Dutch oven, stir together the coconut milk and 2½ cups water.

Bring to a boil over medium-high, then stir in the rice, sugar mixture and orange zest. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake until the rice is tender and the pudding is creamy, about 50 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in the vanilla, transfer to a bowl and cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool completely, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days (let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving). Sprinkle individual bowls with pistachios and dust with additional cardamom just before serving.

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