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Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan.
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Add the rice, stir, and lower the heat to a simmer.
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Cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
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It will look as if all the rice grains have melted into a big clump, but they have not.
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5
The rice is just overcooked, which is what you want.
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Using a heatproof silicone spatula, begin stirring the rice to help the remaining water evaporate and prevent the rice and starch from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
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Continue until most of the liquid has evaporated.
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(It is impossible to get it completely dry since the starch has gelled and is holding on to some water.)
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Total cooking time will be about 1 hour.
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10
Turn off the heat.
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Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
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Pour the boiling milk mixture into the rice, stir well, and turn on the heat to medium.
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13
It will seem as if you have added too much milk, but you have not.
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Cook the rice, stirring every 5 minutes or so to remove the skin that forms and the starch that builds up along the side of the pan, until the liquid is reduced by half.
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This should take about 45 minutes.
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This step does require you to stay in close range of the pan because leaving it unattended can cause the milk to boil over.
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Stirring also helps speed the evaporation process because it prevents a skin from forming on the surface of the pan (which would keep the steam from escaping).
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The pudding will thicken as it cools, so keep that in mind when judging the consistency.
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You can serve the rice hot, chilled, or at room temperature.
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Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon and a cinnamon stick, if you like.
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INGREDIENTS
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Short-Grain versus Long-Grain Rice
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It is best to use short-grain rice for the pudding since it is higher in starch and will produce a creamier pudding.
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Long-grain rice will work as well, but the texture will be slightly different.
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Milk
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Substituting a low-fat milk in the recipe will not produce the same creamy texture.
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However, feel free to substitute coconut milk (full-fat version) in equal amounts for a nice change.
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TECHNIQUES
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Cooking the Rice/Using Leftover Rice
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In order for rice pudding to come out tender and creamy, you have to overcook the rice in an abundant amount of water.
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I find that using leftover rice produces a clumpy pudding with hard bits of rice.
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I suggest you make fresh rice specifically for this pudding and keep your leftover rice for a rice salad.
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ADVANCE PREPARATION
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The pudding can be made a few days in advance and kept covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator.
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Place the plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding so that a milk skin does not form.
