Rice Pudding with Rose Water
Egg yolks give this version of rice pudding a wonderful creamy texture. It has a delicate taste of rose water and mastic. The mastic—unfortunately labeled “gum mastic”—has nothing at all to do with the waterproof filler called mastic, nor with the glue called “gum arabic” sold in the building trades. It is an aromatic resin from trees that grow on the Greek island of Chios. It comes in tiny translucent grains. Be careful not to use too much as it results in a bitter taste. You must pound and grind the grains with a teaspoon of sugar to a fine powder in a pestle with a mortar. A few drops of vanilla essence are an alternative flavoring if you cannot get gum mastic. The pudding is addictive, homely, comfort food. A brittle caramel topping turns it into a more glamorous option.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the rice in a large pan with the water. Bring it to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Add the milk and simmer on very low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the rice is very soft but there is still quite a bit of liquid left. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon so that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Step 2
Put in the sugar and stir until it has dissolved. Add the rose water, turn off the heat, and sprinkle on the gum mastic, stirring vigorously. If you are using vanilla essence, put it in at the same time as the sugar.
Step 3
Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl, then beat in a ladleful of the simmering pudding. Add this mixture to the pan, stirring constantly for a few moments only, until the liquid thickens a little (it becomes creamy), but do not let it boil or the yolks will curdle. Pour the pudding into a serving dish—use a heatproof one if you are making the caramel topping—let it cool, and then refrigerate, covered in plastic wrap.
Step 4
If you are going to add the caramel topping, the pudding must be chilled before you add the sugar. Sprinkle the top with the 4 tablespoons sugar and put under a preheated broiler. The sugar will bubble and gradually turn into dark caramel. If it is too near the broiler, burnt spots will appear. If that happens, you can just lift them off when the caramel has cooled and hardened. Refrigerate before serving.
