Rice pudding is one of the most popular desserts in many countries. It is usually made with white rice, milk or cream and sugar - delicious!... but not ideal as the simple carb is going to spike your blood sugar level. Here I have another version of rice pudding made with black sticky rice which not only contains more fibre (approx. 5%) than white rice, but is also rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins, the bioactive compounds that give it natural deep purple colour. You can buy black sticky rice (or sometimes it's called black glutinous rice) from Chinese supermarkets. In fact, I find black sticky rice has a unique flavour and more delicious than white rice, especially when combined with coconut milk. Don't take my words for it, try it yourself.
Ingredients
Serves 3-4
1 cup Black sticky rice, rinsed and soaked in cold water for 6 hours, then drained
2 tbsp Coconut palm sugar (more or less up to your taste)
1/2 cup Coconut milk or coconut cream
2 tsp Tapioca starch
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
Maple syrup (optional)
In a medium pot, boil the rice in approx. 3 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cook the rice for 30 mins or until soft (in the meantime keep stirring it and if it gets too dry, add some more water). Add the palm sugar and salt.
In a small bowl, mix the tapioca starch with one tablespoon of water and add to the rice. Keep stirring it until the rice has thicken (this should only take a minute or you may need to add more tapioca starch if it is too runny).
To serve, put the rice pudding in a small bowl and top with one or two tablespoons of the coconut milk (I love lots of coconut milk). If you fancy, add a teaspoon of maple syrup. Mix well and enjoy it warm.