Rice Porridge with Milk: Creamy Breakfast Recipe
Simple rice porridge with milk is what my mom used to make me as a kid, most often for breakfast. You may be surprised, but I still eat this dish and love it to this day. For me, milk rice porridge was always the “base” for nuts, condensed milk and jam. Oh yes! A spoonful of cherry jam on top was the height of childhood happiness. And if the jam still had whole pitted cherries in it, that was pure perfection.
Porridge is considered one of the staples of Ukrainian cuisine. That said, dishes similar to porridge exist all over the world. The idea is simple: grains, or products made from various cereals by grinding them to different degrees, from whole kernels to flour, are cooked until soft. Rice porridge, for example, can be made from whole or broken rice, and even from rice flour.
The ratio of liquid to grain determines the texture of the dish: porridge can be fluffy, creamy, runny or thick. Rice porridge can be made as thick as you like. For breakfast or for kids, it is better to make a semi-runny or creamy porridge, so that it is easy to scoop from the plate with a spoon and does not spill.
When making milk rice porridge, the rice is usually boiled in plain water first, and then milk, sugar, butter and other additions go in. The reason is that rice is hard to cook through in milk alone. For a creamy porridge, 1 part rice is cooked in 2 parts water, then finished and left to rest in milk, and the amount of milk determines how thick the dish turns out.
The best result comes from so-called “round” rice. It is most often sold in plain generic packs simply labeled “Rice”. This rice cooks down beautifully and, once mixed with milk, makes the porridge creamy with almost no liquid left.
The cooked rice porridge can be topped with sugar, butter, condensed milk or jam, whatever you like. Since rice has a completely neutral taste, any addition only makes the dish better. For a creamy porridge, let it stand for a while after adding the milk: some of the rice will swell and blend with the milk, making a thick, creamy porridge, just the way it should be. And when serving, add whatever you like.
Ingredients
2 servings
- Round rice 1 cup
- Milk (2.5%) 0.5 l
- Butter 1 tbsp
- Salt, sugar, vanillin to taste
Step-by-step recipe
- How to make rice porridge with milk? Surprisingly, a good milk rice porridge comes from inexpensive round rice sold in any store. We buy the milk at the store too, regular 2.5% fat. Homemade milk makes the dish richer in calories, and it is rarely available unless you go looking for it. Butter and how much of it you use is entirely up to you, since it is quite high in calories. If you plan to serve the porridge with jam, you can easily skip the sugar.
- Bring the milk to a boil. First, this checks that it is fresh, since old milk may curdle. Second, it is best to add hot or warm milk to the porridge. And third, you can do this while the rice is cooking, which cuts down the overall cooking time.
- Pour water into a heavy-bottomed pot, twice the volume of the rice. Season the water with a pinch of salt. Rinse the rice if needed. Polishing the grains leaves a lot of rice flour on them, though it also makes the porridge thicker. Add the rice to the water, stir and bring to a boil.
- Cook the rice in the water over low heat, stirring. It is important that the porridge does not stick to the bottom and burn. Gradually the rice will absorb the water, soften and start to break down, forming a thick mixture, essentially rice porridge made with water. You can clearly see the softened grains in it.
- Add a little vanilla or vanilla sugar to boost the aroma of the dish. Add sugar to taste; I added a scant 1 tbsp. Pour the warm or hot boiled milk into the pot and stir. Cook the rice porridge with milk, stirring, until the rice is completely soft with no trace of firmness, and the milk starts to thicken as the rice breaks down.
- When the milk rice porridge is almost ready, add a pat of butter. The pot can sit for a while over the lowest heat, or simply stay warm thanks to the heat held by its thick bottom. After that, the rice porridge with milk is ready.
- Spoon the milk rice porridge into bowls, small soup plates or deep bowls. If you like, add another small pat of butter. You can also add sliced banana, jam or chocolate, raisins, dried apricots and other treats. Let the porridge cool a little before serving: when hot it can burn, and kids will not be happy.
| Yield: | 2 servings |
| Calories: | 110 |
| Prep: | 5 mins |
| Cooking: | 40 mins |
| Ready in: | 45 mins |
| Category: | Main Dishes |
| Cuisine: | European |
| Rating: |
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4.5
(8)
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