ALMOST Arroz Con Dulce

Arroz Con Dulce is a typical Puerto Rican dessert typically served over the Christmas Season. It is basically a coconut rice pudding with Christmas inspired spices.

I’m calling this ALMOST Arroz Con Dulce simply because I skip the traditional addition of raisins as we are not big fans of them :). You can easily incorporate them (see below) and make traditional Arroz con Dulce using the same recipe.

Ingredients:

3.5 cups Coconut Milk
2oz Fresh Ginger
6-8 Cloves
2 Cinnamon sticks
1 cup of Water
1 cup of Medium or Short Grain Rice
1 cup of Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup of Raisins (if you are preparing traditional Arroz con Dulce)

Directions:

Place the rice in a dish or pot, cover with water and soak for 2-3 hours
Put the ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves and 1 cup of water into a pot, bring to a boil for 15mins
Strain the water into a large pot and add 2.5 cups of coconut milk and bring to a boil
Strain the rice and add it to the pot.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 15 minutes
Reduce heat to low, cover for 10 minutes
Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and the sugar (raisins if you are using them) and mix. Cook on low for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not stick to the pot.
Check to make sure the rice is cooked (soft. remove from he and add the remaining coconut milk (add more coconut milk if the rice is too dry)

Typically here in Puerto Rico, Arroz Con Dulce is eaten cold, but I don’t see any reason why you could not eat it hot as well.

Either way, pour into individual serving dishes or 1 large serving dish and if you plan on cooling it, allow to cool to room temperature, then cover it and place in the fridge.

Before eating, sprinkle with cinnamon