If you’ve never had Thai black rice pudding, you really must either make some, or go find a chef to make you some. The black rice doesn’t look like it could possibly be delicious, but each grain sort of pops in your mouth, like a tapioca pearl (bead? I don’t know what you call them) that is sweet and smooth and a bit chewy… mmmm!

The chef/owner at one of my favourite restaurants, which also happens to be a seasonal place of work for me, the ArtSee Cafe & Bistro in Bayfield, Ontario, gave me some black rice to try to make my own, since I love his so much. He makes a mango sticky black rice pudding for dessert when he makes Thai food for his Culinary Expeditions dinners, and it is to die for. Or at least drool over. The other servers and I always beg a taste.

Finally, months after I put the rice away in my cupboard, I decided to complement my boyfriend’s yellow Thai curry with a black sticky rice pudding. So I did an Internet search and came up with an easy recipe.

First, put 1 cup of black rice in a big saucepan with 3 cups of water and 1/4 tsp. salt.

Bring it to a boil, then let it simmer, tightly covered, on low for 45 minutes. The rice will be cooked, but still wet.

Add these ingredients:

Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

And voila: delicious!!

The version that the chef at the ArtSee serves includes pieces of mango stirred in at the end, but a friend of mine and fellow sticky rice pudding-lover says that almost any fruit would be good. Try it and let me know what you think!

The recipe:

1 cup black rice (which you should be able to find at an Asian foods store)
3 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt (divided in half)
1/2 cup sugar
1 (13 – 15 oz/400 mL) can unsweetened coconut milk, stirred well

Bring rice and water and 1/4 tsp. salt to boil in a large heavy saucepan.
Reduce heat, cover tightly, and let simmer for 45 minutes. Rice should be cooked but still wet.

Stir in sugar, a “scant” 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1 1/2 cups coconut milk.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick and rice is tender but still slightly chewy (think “al dente”), about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool to warm or room temperature, stirring occasionally, at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, stir pudding and divide into portions (up to 8). Stir remaining coconut milk and drizzle over pudding.

Keeps, covered, up to 5 days.

(Recipe source)