Arroz con leche is one of those things I grew up with. My mom loves cooking, or maybe that´s one of her ways of showing love; everytime someone asks how se made a dish or dessert she says the key is to add love. And it may sound to corny, but my mom refers to making it while thinking of how good it will feel to make it and give it to someone you love, and for the person to like it. Perhaps when we cook with that in mind some of that love transfers to the food somehow, I have no idea.
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This reminds me of my childhood, coming home from school, my parents both in the kictchen, leaving my backpack on the floor, running to wash my hands, my mom´s voice saying the foos was ready, the eating all of us together, my parents, three siblings and me on the table (lunch time was always sacred) the conversation, the laughter, and a dessert at the end, there was almost always a dessert, and arroz con leche was one of the recurrent ones. Some of us would get up and get the cups filled with arroz con leche from the fridge, always served with some cinnamon on top, and had this crust that formed while chilled, that crust was the best part.
The good thing is that you can make this recipe by using white cooked rice that was leftover from a meal, that way you don´t throw it away. The only thing to take into account is that the rice has to be plain white rice, meaning, without cheese, salt or pepper, etc. I it has some sugar, that can actually be used.
If you like this recipe, you have to see our banana bread pudding. This is a recipe that calls for leftover bread, from other days, to make something declicious.
Arroz con leche
Ingredients
- 1 C plain white rice cooked
- 2 1/2 C water
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 14 oz (397gr) (a can) condensed milk
- 13 oz (360 gr) (a can) evaporated milk
- 1 C whole milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a pot, placed on the stove to medium heat, pour the condensed milk, water, evaporated milk, whole milk and cinnamon stick and let it all heat for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the rice, salt and vanilla and mix. Stir using a wooden spatula and keep doing it non-stop until the milk turns a bit yellowish and thicker, that means the arroz con leche is ready.
- Serve hot or chilled with some ground cinnamon con top.
