Chinese desserts treasure nutritious ingredients such as whole grains, nuts and fruits. They are usually not as sweet as Western desserts and have a very different texture. Black rice pudding is one of those popular desserts that you often see in dessert shops from Hong Kong and Taiwan. They may have very different names and different presentations depending on the particular shop. But it’s usually made with tender gooey black rice, served in creamy coconut milk, and topped with fun ingredients such as fruit, tapioca pearls, mochi, and / or red bean paste. Today I want to share the one I love the most – black rice pudding topped with mango. It’s as simple to make as cooking rice, too, giving you a wonderful dessert that is utterly refreshing and sublime on a summer’s day.
Black rice pudding ingredients
What is black rice
Black rice is also called purple rice (紫米, Zi Mi) or forbidden rice. It gets that name from ancient times, as it is so nutritious that it was once reserved for royalty. Now everyone can get their hands on it, and they should because black rice has more protein than other types of rice, plus it gives you plenty of iron. With antioxidants including anthocyanin, which is what gives it that spectacular hue, you’re fueling your body with incredible nutrition. I also have it in my pantry and throw a small handful of it into my brown rice before I steam it. Once cooked, black rice has a nutty taste and a slightly chewy and gooey texture that is truly amazing.
Ingredients you need
Black rice pudding only requires five ingredients.
Black rice Coconut milk Mango Sugar Salt
How to make black rice pudding
Making black rice pudding requires a few simple steps:
Do I need to soak the rice?
If you’d prefer your black rice to have a stickier texture, you’re going to want to let it soak for at least an hour at room temperature, or even overnight in your fridge. But if you prefer a chewier texture, you can skip the soaking process. To make black rice pudding in your rice cooker, you should use the brown rice setting on the cooker. And you can skip the soaking in this case.
How to store black rice pudding?
Like most dishes, black rice pudding tastes the best when it’s made fresh. If you plan to cook it ahead of time, you should store everything separately. The ingredients will stay well in the fridge for 2 to 3 days (but don’t cut the mango until the day before or the day you serve it). To serve the pudding, you should gently heat up the black rice either in a steamer or in the microwave, to bring back its soft texture. Then you can wait until it has cooled to room temperature before serving it. Do not directly serve refrigerated black rice, because it will have a very tough texture. Black rice pudding is an elegant dessert choice if you are having dinner guests or if you just want something that’s sweet without using tons of sugar. Either way, you’re going to love the simplicity of it with every bite.
More delicious dessert recipes
Mango Sticky Rice Chinese Pumpkin Cake (南瓜饼) Vegan Mango Pudding Easy Candied Walnuts with Spice Mango Sago (杨枝甘露)
