Rice pudding – a comfort food from childhood days! When it gets cold and uncomfortable outside, a plate of freshly cooked rice pudding warms you up from the inside. You can also serve rice pudding in an incredibly varied way with the help of different toppings.
But many people shy away from cooking this sweet classic themselves, as it takes a lot of patience for the rice to become nice and soft. But what to do when all the patience in the world is not enough. The rice pudding will not become soft. No matter what you do.
Then here comes your help.
In the following article you will find out how your rice pudding becomes tender and supple and what else you should consider when cooking rice pudding.
Rice pudding won’t go soft: what to do?
If rice pudding does not soften, in most cases this is due to too little liquid or too little soaking time. In order to get rice pudding soft, you need a lot of liquid, which must not evaporate during cooking, but must be absorbed by the rice pudding while it is soaking.
Was that too cryptic for you? Then let’s now look at the details.
Two particularly crucial factors for the perfect rice pudding consistency are adding liquid and allowing it to swell.
If your rice is too hard but has soaked up all of the milk, add a little milk at a time until it reaches the consistency you want.
After boiling, you should not just set the rice pudding aside to soak. Instead, let the pot simmer on the stovetop and the rice pudding on a low heat.
You stir occasionally so that the starch escaping from the rice grains is better distributed.
Tip: Rice pudding can be frozen. But to ensure that it remains really enjoyable, you should follow these tips.
To better understand these factors, in the next section we look at what causes rice pudding to be too hard.
Why does rice pudding stay too hard?
The fact that your rice pudding is not soft can have other reasons besides the amount of liquid and the swelling process.
First of all, an unsuitable type of rice can lead to the rice pudding not becoming soft. When preparing rice pudding, you should make sure that you really used rice pudding and did not accidentally use “normal” rice.
Also, wait until the rice pudding is ready to add sugar. Sometimes this inhibits the softening of the rice pudding.
But which types of rice are the right ones for rice pudding?
Which types of rice are suitable for soft rice pudding?
There are three different categories of rice: long, medium and short grain rice.
Short grain rice is best suited for rice pudding. This contains more starch than medium and long grain rice and thus ensures a creamier consistency than the less starchy varieties. In addition, short-grain rice can absorb liquid better and becomes softer.
But you don’t have to examine every rice package very carefully in the supermarket. If it says rice pudding on the packaging, you can be sure that it contains the right short grain rice.
If you don’t have short-grain rice at home, you can also use other types of rice.
What types of rice can you use if there is no rice pudding in the house?
Alternatively, other types of round grain can be used. Risotto rice, for example, works well with this. Therefore, you do not wash the risotto rice before cooking.
You should not rely on the cooking time when preparing risotto rice, it can then vary. Therefore, you should try the rice from time to time.
Tip: Normal rice can also be frozen easily. Even in Asia, this trick is very popular.
So much for the rice. But what about milk alternatives? Which ones are suitable for soft rice pudding?
Which milk is suitable for soft rice pudding?
Basically, there is no difference whether the rice pudding is prepared with cow’s milk or vegan alternatives such as oat, soy, almond or rice milk. The decisive factor is rather how much liquid is mixed into the rice pudding.
However, if you want it extra creamy, you can prepare the rice pudding with coconut milk or fold in whipped cream after cooking.
In my experience, with plant drinks it can happen that the rice pudding becomes a bit “soupy” and does not become creamy despite stirring. Here you can add some starch or pudding powder ( expired pudding powder is also perfect to use ). This causes the missing bond in the rice.
So much for rice and milk. But isn’t it all a little faster?.
How to speed up the cooking process of rice pudding?
Rice pudding is a dish for the patient and should generally be cooked on the stovetop. However, if you don’t have the time or patience, you can also cook the rice pudding in the microwave. This saves time and you have less washing up to do.
Rice pudding does not soften in the Thermomix – what to do?
Cooking time and temperature may vary from rice pudding variety to rice pudding variety. Different brands or even different batches will affect the result.
One detail when preparing with the Thermomix is very important and is still often overlooked: the soaking time. After the rice pudding has been cooked for 30 minutes, it must be transferred to a bowl and left to swell for about 15 minutes.
What helps if rice pudding doesn’t get soft in Monsieur Cuisine?
Similar to the Thermomix, the type of rice also plays an important role here. The cooking time should then be increased by about 5 to 15 minutes. This will make the rice pudding softer.
Can rice pudding also be cooked in a pressure cooker?
Rice pudding can also be prepared using a pressure cooker. The advantage here is that the rice pudding does not have to be stirred after boiling.
All you have to do is snap the lid on and leave the rice to swell for 20 minutes on the switched-off stove. In some cases, the rice pudding must then be boiled down in the opened pot for about 5 minutes.
What can you do if you have added too much liquid to the rice pudding?
To allow the remaining liquid to evaporate, it can be boiled over a low heat. If that doesn’t help, the excess liquid can also be tied up with starch or pudding powder.
Conclusion: what to do if rice pudding does not turn out soft?
If rice pudding doesn’t soften, it lacks moisture and soaking time. Gradually add more liquid and let the rice swell on low. Stir occasionally. You can bind excess milk with starch or pudding powder.