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

One of the most popular and simple-to-prepare of Dominican desserts. To the naked eye it could look like old rice pudding, but once you tasted it you can't fail to notice the touch of spices that makes our arroz con leche different.

Time: 55 Mins
Difficulty: Medium
Serve: 6 people

Before starting to cook: Soak the rice in 2 cups of water and let sit overnight, or at least for a few hours.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of evaporated milk
• 6 cups of water
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of long-grain rice
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 cup of raisins
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Preparation:

1. Put the remaining 4 cups of water in an iron pot, add the cloves, the cinnamon sticks and the salt. Bring to a boil and then add the rice.
   
2. Turn heat down to medium temperature and stir the mixture regularly to avoid sticking. Adjust the water if necessary and when the rice is tender add the milk and half the sugar. When it breaks a boil add the raisins, butter and the remaining sugar.
   
3. When the mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency turn off the heat and pour immediately into small bowls or ice cream glasses.
   
4. Sprinkle the nutmeg on top and let cool down to room temperature. Chill before serving.

This recipe is delicious! I tried it yesterday and it was a big hit, at least I think it was, sometimes friends are not the most objective audience. Anyway, I really enjoyed it.

I tried this recipe and for some reason it was more liquidy than anything else. What am I doing wrong?

¡Más candela!

Seriously, you just need to let it boil some more. I like the rice to get very soft, but if you like it with the rice firmer just add a bit more (about 1/4 cup) rice.

This was my first time making arroz con leche. I wish the directions were a little more detailed. Like when do I put in the butter and should I be cooking on a high heat or a boil for the entire process?? And for how long? Do I discard the cloves? If so when?

I cleaned up the instructions a bit to make it clearer.

Do you have a recipe for normal arroz con leche? or is it the same but excluding the sugar from the recipe?