Serves 2

Ingredients:-

• Basmati rice: 50g (approx. ¼ cup)
• Water: 150ml (to par-boil the rice)
• Milk: 400ml
• Butter: 1 generous tablespoon (essential for fat/creaminess since we aren't using cream)
• Spices: ½ teaspoon of your chosen ground spices (or 2-3 bruised cardamom pods / 1 cinnamon stick)
• Salt and pepper

Method:-

• Part-cook the rice: Rinse your basmati rice quickly to remove excess surface starch. Place it in a small saucepan with the 150ml of water.
• Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for 6 to 8 minutes until the water is mostly absorbed but the rice still has a slight bite.Infuse the milk:
• Pour the 400ml of milk directly into the saucepan with the rice. Add your spices (if using whole pods or sticks, bruise them first to release the oils).Simmer and thicken: Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
• Cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the milk from catching or burning on the bottom of the pan. The basmati rice will release its starch, naturally thickening the milk into a loose custard texture.Finish with butter: Once the rice is completely tender and the pudding is creamy, take the pan off the heat.
• Remove whole spice pods if you used them.
• Stir in the tablespoon of butter until completely melted and glossy.
• Cooling process: Pour the pudding into bowls. Rice pudding thickens up significantly as it chills.
• To eat it cooled but still creamy, leave it on the counter to reach room temperature, then place it in the fridge.
• Tip: Press a piece of damp baking paper or cling film directly onto the surface of the pudding while it cools if you want to prevent a skin from forming on top!
• Note - this is not sweet so add honey etc on eating