Arroz Con Leche
I have made a very loved specialty called Arroz con Leche. This home-made delicacy can be described as a dessert or just a favorite family dish to be eaten over certain days such as Christmas morning, Thanksgiving as a dessert, rainy cold days when the whole family is together, or on your healing days after an illness. You can eat this specialty in your favorite mug, as I do :)
Supplies
o Pot (size: 5 quartz or more)
o Stove
o Water - 5 cups
o White long enriched rice - 2 cups
o 1 Cooking Solid Spoon
o 1 Can opener
o Butter - 3 large spoonfuls
o Vanilla extract - 1 Teaspoon
o 1 gallon milk (either whole or low/reduced fat)
o 1 Colander -preferably with tiny openings and not the standard size so rice does not fall through.
o 1 Canned sweetened condensed milk (net weight 14 oz)
o 1 Canned evaporated milk (net 12 oz)
o 1 regular table spoon
o 1-3 cinnamon sticks (3 MAX!)
o Optional: small stainless steel mesh container/holder
Prep Rice
o Using colander, rinse rice under running water over sink, do so until running water turns clear.
- Tip: With your hand/fingers move rice around and softly rub rice against colander to expedite this step.
o Turn stove on heat level 7, place pot on stove, and add the butter in - butter should be melting almost immediately.
o Place spoon in proximity- you will need it later.
o Place rice in pot and stir
Water Time
o Optional: Use the colander or a small metal mesh container to hold the cinnamon sticks in, since they may break off into small bits-take out before milk is poured in. This optional step is not recommended due to lessening the flavor quality.
o Add water and cinnamon sticks in pot
o Open but do not pour canned condense milk with table spoon on stand by to use (you will need it)
o Open but do not pour canned evaporated milk
o Water should be boiling by now, just stir rice around occasionally
o Cinnamon sticks should be opening up and/or breaking off
o Once water is at a very low level in pot, the rice should be softened up (should take approximately 20-30 minutes)
Add Milk
o Fill pot up with approximately 5 or 6 cups of milk
- Tip: You may add more if you have a larger pot
o Lower down heat level by one (if currently at 7, go down to 6)
Sweeten It Up!
o Add vanilla extract
o Add full can of condensed milk (use your spoon for assistance!- its ok if butter is still stuck on it- its all going in together)
o Add full can of evaporated milk
o Now with your butter up sticky spoon, stir! – It will immediately start wanting to stick to the bottom of the pan, so scrape the sticky off the bottom of the pot, if any- This will help clean the spoon easier later since the butter and condensed milk will come off when doing this step.
Stirring Marathon
o Grab your regular kitchen solid cooking spoon and get rid of your table spoon.
o Continuously stir while waiting for rice to become fully cooked and to avoid rice and sweeteners sticking to bottom of pot- the amount of butter should help prevent that but it's not magic!
- Tip: Make sure you are touching almost as if scraping the bottom of the pot with your cooking spoon!
o Once milk is starting to slowly boil do not stop stirring; Milk should start looking a bit frothy.
- Tip: When boiling is getting faster and intense lower heat level down to 5 or 4.
o Milk should now be slightly thick and rice should be looking soft and yummy.
o Turn stove off if rice is fully cooked (rice should not be crunchy or slightly hard)
- Tip: Add more milk if rice is needing to be cooked more, continue stirring as instructed above.
Ready to Eat!
o Rice should be very soft when chewed and milk should have a mild thick consistency.
o Add more milk if desired to lessen the thickness
- Fun Fact: When it is done and no longer being stirred, a waxy thick layer will form over the rice- just stir it in, it will dissolve within the rice.
- Fun Fact: If it is put away for the next morning or evening, you will need to add additional milk to keep it from becoming mush when reheating.
- Fun Fact: You may see yellow/orange small substances in rice when stirring but that is the sweeteners caramelized. You may take them out if you want but not necessary.
- Fun Fact: Rice is a great absorber, so add more milk if needed.