Alaska News

Photos: Rice pudding, 2 ways

When I was first adopted from South Korea and landed on the new planet of New Orleans, an after-school snack of cookies and milk was so foreign to me. Instead, I often requested a bowl of hot steamed rice with a pat of butter, which my grandmother eventually transformed into rice pudding; warm rice was comforting for obvious reasons. (I was a quick learner, though, and soon dug into my fair share of brownies and powdered sugar-coated beignets.)

I've updated my grandmother's version (rice, milk, raisins, butter and cinnamon) and offer here two different ways with warm pudding. The first enlists fragrant long-grain brown basmati rice and the second features bulgur, made from whole-grain hard wheat that has been parboiled, dried and cracked. The basmati-based recipe doesn't yield a thick, cloying pudding; it's creamy but the grains remain mostly separate.

I'm not saying this will replace the cry for cookies and milk. But whichever version you choose for breakfast or snacking, the family will love it, you'll feel good about it and there will be comfort in every bite.

Read more: Rice pudding, the ultimate comfort food

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