Rice Pudding is a method of using leftovers from yesterday’s rice porridge. Norwegians eat rice porridge all year around but it is in particular popular around Christmas, with Rice Pudding being one of the most popular desserts for the festive season.
When recently dining in the Hereford Road, a small neighbourhood restaurant in Notting Hill we spotted ‘chilled rice pudding and jam’ on the menu. Usually rice pudding served outside the boarders of Scandinavia tend to be sweetened with vanilla or added cinnamon, raisins or almond for taste, the rice not as crunchy as it should be the the jam too sweet and loosing its acidity. We still decided to go for it, and we were pleasantly surprised.
Porridge has been part of Nordic cuisine since 1340, when it was served at Bohus Castle in Sweden. The dish even has its own day, ‘Grøtdagen’ (the porridge day, celebrated annually on the 23rd of October. There are many forms of porridge, but rice porridge is one of the more popular in Scandinavia. Made with rice porridge and double cream, chilled rice pudding is for many in Norway the pudding you would serve on Christmas eve.
So inspired by our lovely pudding at Hereford Road (which we will go back for more) we decided to share the Norwegian recipe for rice pudding.
Ingredients and Method Rice porridge and red berry cordial
180 grams short grain rice
pinch of salt
400 ml water
800 ml whole milk
Boil rice, water and salt on medium heath while stirring until the water more or less has evaporated (around 10 minutes). Lower the heath and stir in the milk and allow to simmer, stirring only now and then, for another 35-40 minutes, until the porridge has thickened. If needed, ad more milk.
Enjoy a small plate of freshly made rice porridge, served in bowls with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top, together with a spoonful of butter, placed to melt in the middle.
But make sure you leave enough for your rice pudding!
Ingredients & Method Rice pudding
Serves 4
3 dl double cream
2 tbs white sugar
3 dl rice porridge
Whip double cream and sugar to a white and fluffy cream. Ad carefully the rice porridge, blend it in without stirring too much. Leave to cool in the fridge, whilst you prepare the berry sauce to accompany it.
200 grams of cordial from red currant, raspberry or cherry.
Or make your own with 200 grams of frozen red berries, 1/2 dl water and 100 grams of icing sugar. Bring the mix or the cordial to the boil. This sauce should be served warm on the chilled rice pudding.
Enjoy!