A nostalgic dessert: chocolate rice pudding just like the tinned classic, soft, lightly set and tasting of warm chocolate milk. The chocolate comes not from a melted bar but from cocoa powder, which you first mix smooth with the sugars and a little cold milk. Then it cooks very gently for 40 minutes, with a splash of cream stirred in at the end. Lovely warm, but perhaps even better cold from the fridge.
Chocolate rice pudding like the tinned classic
Chocolate rice pudding like the tinned classic
Method
01
Mix the cocoa
In a heavy-based pan, mix the cocoa powder with the caster sugar, the dextrose and a small splash of the cold milk until you have a smooth paste with no lumps.
02
Add the milk and rice
Pour in the rest of the milk, add the rice and the pinch of salt, and bring everything to the boil over a medium heat, stirring. Stay close, because milk boils over quickly.
03
Cook gently
As soon as it boils, turn the heat to its lowest setting (use a heat diffuser if you have one) and let the pudding bubble very gently for 35 to 40 minutes. Stir across the bottom every 3 to 4 minutes with a wooden spoon so it doesn't catch.
04
Stir in the cream
After 40 minutes the rice grains are soft and the pudding has thickened, but is still fairly runny. That is as it should be. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream.
05
Cool without a skin
Spoon the pudding into a bowl. If you don't want a skin, lay a sheet of cling film directly on the warm pudding. Let it cool to room temperature, for no more than 1 hour, then refrigerate.
06
Serve
Serve the pudding cold, or warm it briefly in a pan with a splash of milk.
Tips & notes
Use unsweetened cocoa powder, for example Droste or Blooker. Dextrose (glucose powder) is less sweet than ordinary sugar and gives a round, soft sweetness; if you don't have it, use 75 g caster sugar in total. Sift the cocoa if it has lumps. Cocoa powder catches on the bottom of the pan quickly, so use a heavy-based pan and keep stirring regularly. Don't leave the pudding at room temperature for more than 1 hour, keep it in the fridge for no more than 2 days and reheat leftovers until piping hot. Without chocolate: see Rice pudding like the tinned classic.
Chef's tip
Take the pudding off the heat while it is still runnier than you want it: it thickens a lot as it cools. If it is too firm after chilling, stir in a splash of milk.
Variations
- With cinnamon: a pinch of cinnamon in the cocoa gives a warm, slightly spiced chocolate flavour.
- With whipped cream: serve with a dollop of softly whipped cream and some grated chocolate.
- With cherries: serve with warm cherries for a Black Forest flavour.
Contains:
Milk
