Thursday, March 26, 2009

ARROZ EN LECHE - Rice Pudding- Our son's favorite.


Our son, Alex, loves arroz en leche. I learned to make it exclusively for him, it's his comfort food.

We met with Alex when he was four (that was when, in my heart, he became my son) and he came to live with us when he was eight (that was when he officially became our son). During his early childhood he used to eat a lot of "atoles" (porridge): Atol de Elote, INCAPARINA, Arroz en Leche, Mosh, manjar, Atol de Platano, Atol de Masa, etc. These are staples of a Guatemalan diet, they are cheap and hearty.

Myself, I didn't grow up with atoles. My mom says she had to eat so many of them growing up that she did not want to make them anymore plus they also reminded her of struggling economic times. Hence, I didn't acquire the taste or the skill to make them just right.

Arroz en leche is the only one that I learned how to make for Alex, the others I asked friends to once in a while make them for him. I do have to say now I regret it. He is now 19 with a mind of his own and I should have given him all the comfort I could when I could. (Well, I guess there is still time... I will learn how to make more of these atoles!)

Alex is now living on his own and I am going to visit him today so I will take some Arroz en Leche for him. 

I am using a recipe from the book Recetas de Oro de Olga Perez Guisasola de Cáceres.

Ingredients:
1 cup of rice.
4 cups of water.
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 tsp salt
1 pinch of lime zest (the peel)
1 liter of milk to make ir like a drink, 1/2 liter of milk to make it a pudding
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp of grounded cinnamon

Bring the water to boil, add the rice, cinnamon stick, salt, lime zest. Let it cook at low heat, stirring occasionally. If needed you can add more water.

When the rice is cooked add the milk and sugar and let it cook longer. Let it cook as long as you want to get the consistency desired. (some like it runnier, others thicker).

To serve sprinkle cinnamon on top.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Hola me encontré con tu pagina, porque buscaba una receta para hacer arroz en leche. Leí tu blog y tenemos historias similares. Yo al igual que tu estoy casada con un gringuito, no mas que el de descendencia polaca. También al igual que tu tengo una hija adoptiva de Guatemala (la tengo desde que tenia 3 días de nacida) es mi orgullo. Tengo una hija biológica de 2 y un baroncito en camino que nacerá primero Dios en Enero. Solo quería compartir contigo que te felicito por adoptar y también por tener a Guatemala cerca con tus hijos, ya que hay muchos que se olvidan de nuestra Guatemala al venir a este país y sus hijos nunca llegan a conocer todas tradiciones lindas de nuestra patria.
Dios te bendiga a ti y a tu familia
Virginia Leon-Jakubowski

Fruitfulvineandoliveshoots said...

Hey! I married a guy from TX, his parents are Guatemalan and my hubby grew up in the states as you may imagine... I was looking for the Arros en leche's recipe in English and I found it thanks to you!

Unknown said...

Thanks for recipe. I love it. My family love it. This is great.

Megan said...

Can you tell what type of rice that you use?