Mary’s rizogalo has the perfect combination of al-dente rice bathed in sweet, creamy milk and seasoned of course with cinnamon. It is simple and delicious and you will definitely want to add this to your cooking repertoire!
- ½ cup medium grain rice
- 1 cup water
- 3 ½ cups milk
- 2 level tablespoons cornflour
- ½ cup caster sugar
- Cinnamon for dusting
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Add the rice and water to a medium sized pot. Bring to the boil and continue to boil till almost all of the water is absorbed
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Dissolve the cornflour in ½ cup of milk and add this to the pot, along with the remaining 3 cups of milk
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Add the sugar to the pot
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Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer
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Simmer the rizogalo, while stirring continuously, until the milk thickens and the rice is cooked to almost al dente
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Using a ladle, divide the rizogalo evenly between four small bowls
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Dust with cinnamon and allow to cool and set for an hour or so
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Enjoy this creamy, rice delight for breakfast, for a sweet dinner or dessert!!
Recipe Video
- Only use medium grain rice
- You must stir the rizogalo continuously, otherwise the milk will catch at the base of the pot and there will be small, brown-tinged custard fragments in the mixture. These don’t affect the taste, but they do impact the texture and aesthetic
- It is really important not to undercook or overcook the rice. If you undercook the rice, it will have a crunchy texture. If you overcook the rice, the rice grains will ‘split’ and have a mushy texture. Neither is good!
The mouth-feel of the rice when you are eating the rizogalo should be distinct grains of rice, with a little firmness to the tooth (al dente), that are coated in a sweet, creamy, milky yumminess. To achieve this, you need to keep your eye on the rice and test it. As the milk begins to thicken and the rice grains begin to enlarge, pick out a grain of rice and bite on it to see how cooked it is. Keep doing this until it is almost al dente.
As the rizogalo cools and sets in the serving bowls, it will continue to absorb moisture from the creamy milk and reach al dente.
- I love the purity and elegant simplicity of the flavours and textures in this rizogalo recipe and I enjoy it immensely as is, but for those who like to enhance the flavour of their rizogalo, you can add a teaspoon of vanilla extract; the zest of half a lemon; or even a few pieces of mastic resin towards the end of the simmering stage for a completely different flavour profile