The Blender Girl’s Gluten-Free Chai Rice Pudding Recipe

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup (60ml) plus 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons water
2 apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
1 cup (240ml) canned coconut milk (shake, then pour)
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of natural salt
3 cups (450g) cooked short-grain brown rice (soft but not mushy)
1/4 cup (45g) raisins
1 cup (240ml) unsweetened almond milk (strained if homemade)
1/3 cup (40g) chopped raw pistachios

METHOD­­
1 In a saucepan over high heat, bring the 1/4 cup (60ml) of maple syrup and the water to a boil (this should take less than a minute). As soon as the mixture bubbles, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the apples. Cook the apples for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they caramelize lightly and soften slightly but remain mostly firm.
2 While the apples are cooking, put the coconut milk, the remaining 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, the vanilla, ginger, spices, and salt into your blender and blast on medium-high for about 10 seconds, until combined.
3 Add 1 1/2 cups (225g) of the rice and process on medium-low for a few seconds, until creamy but rustic. (If you’re using a high-speed blender, be careful of overdoing it; you don’t want a completely smooth blend here, and it can happen quickly. The pudding will be goopy if you overblend. If you’re using a conventional blender, your machine will let you know when the mixture is ready; it’ll thicken and be difficult to blend.)
4 Add the blended mixture and the raisins to the cooked apples and stir to combine. Stir in 1/2 cup (120ml) of the almond milk and the remaining 11/2 cups (225g) of cooked rice.
5 Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly.
6 Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup (120ml) of almond milk and simmer for 5 minutes more, until you have your desired consistency (I take my rice pudding off the heat as soon as the liquid has been absorbed). Tweak the maple syrup to taste.
7 Serve warm, at room temperature, or even chilled; add 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup (60ml) milk if you serve it chilled, to soften it up. Sprinkle pistachios on each serving.

From The Blender Girl by Tess Masters Copyright © Tess Masters 2014 Reprinted by Permission of Random House Australia
All Rights Reserved
RRP $34.99 by Ten Speed Press. Available now from booksellers and online retailers, and as an eBook