Arroz con Leche se quiere casar / Con una viudita de la capital / Que sepa tejer, que sepa bordar / Que ponga la aguja en el mismo lugar.
- Children rhyme
Arroz con leche is one of the most popular and simple-to-make of Dominican desserts. To the naked eye it could look like same old rice pudding, but once you taste it you can’t fail to notice the touch of spices that makes our arroz con leche different, in a good way.
My mother used to make a sugarless version which she served for dinner. I have to admit I hated it then, and I still do. If you wan to try it though, just skip the sugar. Proceed at your own risk.
Aunt Clara
There are many rice puddings, but the Dominican one, with its heavenly mix of spices, stands out from the crowd. Here's how to make arroz con leche.
Ingredients
- 3 cups of evaporated milk
- 6 cups of water
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of long-grain rice
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1/4 cup of raisins
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Soak the rice, cloves and cinnamon sticks in 2 cups of water and let sit for a couple of hours. This step is optional, and it's my own method for cooking the rice.
- Put the remaining 4 cups of water in an iron o cast aluminum pot.
- Add the rice (including the water in which it was soaking, cinnamon and cloves).
- Add the salt.
- Cook over medium temperature and stir regularly to avoid sticking.
- When the rice is tender (about 20 mins) add the milk and the sugar.
- When it breaks a boil again add the raisins.
- Cook over low heat until the mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency.
- Remove from the heat.
- Remove the cloves and cinnamon sticks.
- Add the butter and mix well.
- Cover and let it cool down to room temperature.
- Stir to incorporate the crust that forms during cooling.
- Serve in small bowls and sprinkle with the nutmeg.
Notes
Each person seems to have a favorite consistency for this dish. This is what I prefer (rice is very soft and the pudding very creamy). Later on when preparing this dish again you can adjust the liquids to obtain the texture you prefer.
In some homes rice pudding is a savory dish that is served as a simple dinner. If you are curious to try it, follow the instructions except that you will not add sugar, and instead of a teaspoon of salt as is listed in the recipe, you should add 1 tablespoon salt. Bear in mind that this is an acquired taste, one that I did never acquire myself.
Aunt Clara's Kitchen is a collection of traditional Dominican and Dominican-inspired recipes, home ideas, crafts, and the chronicles of Aunt Clara and Aunt Ilana's adventures.
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Muchas gracias por siempre traernos las recetas simple de hacer y deliciosas. Soy puertorriquena y mi esposo es dominicano y siempre me complenta en lo delisioso que me sabe la comida dice que es mejor que su mama jajaja. no le creo pero me conformo.
Nice. Thank you, Wanda.
Hi Tia Clara…. I have tasted this dish a million times….and it was great. However, the version I ate was more saltier than sweet. Is there another recipe out there for this dish without the cinnamon sticks and sugar?
Thank you very much for this!!!!
I remember that, gosh I hated it!
Sorry, flashbacks. Anyway, if you like the savory variety then skip the sugar and add salt to taste. You can also leave the cinnamon out if you wish.
im dominican im im telling u to really try this because it good hmmmmmm it soo delicus believe me it is
do you drain the rice which has been soaking before adding it to the cooking water? thanks!
I do not.
Am making it right now. I love Rice pudding I will let you know how it comes out =]
This recipe ca't be right. We followed the measurements exactly and there seems to be WAY too much liquid. It's going to take all night long for this much liquid to boil off and have it become a pudding like texture. Is eight cups of liquid (4 water and 4 milk) correct for 1/2 cup of rice? My daughter is making this for a school project that is duetomorrow. Somehow I see a late night shopping trip in my future to get more ingredients for a 2nd batch.
Did you pre-soak the rice in the water? Long grain rice is very starchy, and absorbs a lot of water. You can try turning up the heat to accelerate evaporation. And remember to not let it stick to the bottom or it will burn.
I'm puerto Rican and I'm surprise that this recepie is totally diferrent than ours. What happen to adding cocunut milk. That's what makes our rice pudding so sweet and yummy. Without it I think this would taste very Bland.
I invite you to try it then. I've tried many rice puddings in my life and ours is decidedly not bland.
I would like to make this recipe for 20 people, should i multiply all the ingredients by 5? Will this change the taste or texture?
I have never cooked for that many people, so I would be just guessing here. I am pretty sure that you can go that way. Just be aware that it will be a little harder to make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pot and burn, a problem that is common with this dish. Good luck.
I just finished making this dish, and followed it to a T; it was delicous! At first, like many other reviewers, I was worried that the water and milk-to-rice ratio was off, but it isn't a mistake. If you add too little liquid, the rice will come out too grainy; this dish tastes best when the rice is mushier. Thanks Aunt Clara, this is just how my mother makes it! I think, next time I might add coconut shavings. My mother sometimes adds coconut shavings and it tastes even more delicious and tropical.
That's right. Dominican rice pudding is softer than the rice pudding I have tried elsewhere. Perhaps that's where the confusion lies. I am glad you liked the results.
I am Dominican, however I myself have never made arroz con leche. I did a search and found this recipe and figured it didn't sound to hard so let me try it out. Thanks Aunt Clara, this was absolutely delicious!! Reminded me of my childhood:) I did add one can of condensed milk and it came out super creamy!!
Hi =)
What are the measurements if I was to make it with 1 cup of rice or 2. Please help, thanks
@Sara: This yields about 5 to 6 cups, adjust quantities accordingly.
Thanks,Aunt Clara, I have taste this harroz con leche, and I love it!
Can I use regular milk instead of of evaporated milk? I have all the other above ingredients just not the evaporated milk.
Absolutely, but it will taste different. Or you could double the milk and boil down to the required amount and presto! homemade evaporated milk.
mi arroz con Leche me quedo muy oscuro (marron oscuro) no blanco como el tuyo. Que hice mal? El sabor esta rico pero no se ve bonito
Probablemente se pegó al fondo y se quemó.
hi aunt clara…. i have whole cloves and whole nutmeg and powder cinnamin would that work or should i make a trip to the supermarket?
No need! I prefer whole spices.
is one can of condense milk equivelent to a cup of sugar if so can i subsitute
Very yummy and easy to make. Thanks for the recipe. Your recipes bring back childhood memories of the Dominican Republic. Though I wasn’t born there, I would spend my summers out there and my aunt and grandmother would introduce me to many delicious foods.
Making it right now I added vanilla n yummy!