I bought a slow cooker! I’ve been slow cooking for yonks – in a Le Creuset, in the oven etc, and perfectly well those methods have served me too. Indeed, you don’t need to buy a slow cooker to slow cook, but I recognise that a lot of my target audience (that’s you!) are using these and I wanted to investigate. I do see the point: they are more economical- cheaper than having an oven on for 6 hours and are also therefore greener; they’re safer – I would feel better leaving this on all day whilst out of the house than leaving the oven or hob on; and they are very convenient. This was my first ever attempt with it, and I am really pleased.
It was totally unplanned, I just fancied making something sweet but healthy, rooted around in the cupboards and came up with this. Off I went to yoga (yep I am being smugly healthy at the moment, let’s see how long it lasts), and a couple of hours later I came home and enjoyed two steaming hot bowls of mellow, creamy, delicately spiced (my obsession with cardamom continues!) brown rice. Lovely. We even ate it warmed up for breakfast, topped with toasted flaked almonds. It really hit the spot.
If you don’t have coconut milk in then just use all normal milk. Likewise you can replace risotto or pudding rice for the short grain brown rice (do pick some up though next time you’re shopping – it’s really nice, very healthy and kids seem to love it). Feel free to reduce the sugar to 75g – it would still be sweet enough I reckon. I cooked mine on high for a few hours. I assume (not being experienced with slow cookers I don’t know this for sure) that you could produce the same result on low over 6 hours. Let me know if you do this and how it works out.
Serves: 8/10 adults
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 3 1/2 hours
Total: 3 hours 35 minutes
Ingredients:
400g short grain brown rice
1.6l whole milk
400ml can of full fat coconut milk
100g unrefined caster sugar
6 cardamom pods
1 shard of cinnamon
To serve: toasted flaked almonds (optional)
Instructions:
- Tip all the ingredients into the slow cooker and give a little whisk to mix the milks.
- Turn it on to high and cook for 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 hours. After 2 1/2 hours it was still quite liquid. It tasted good at this stage (the rice was cooked and there was lots of liquid). I cooked it for longer to get a thicker result. Bear in mind that it does thicken up as it cools. You can easily loosen it with a little milk when you reheat it though if you want.
- Try toasting some almonds for a couple of minutes in a hot pan (watch them though, they burn so quickly) and scattering some on top. Toasty and crunchy.
- Eat hot or *cold.
I always regularly eat rice pudding cold. But I know it can be dangerous to eat cooled, cooked rice apparently so do judge the level of risk for yourself. If worried at all, reheat and eat warm.
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Yum
Yep most definitely yummy! R x