Apr 14
2010

Coconut Honey Rice Pudding

in Dessert, Honey, Rice & Noodles

Coconut Honey Rice Pudding

Although I haven’t lived at home for quite a few years, sometimes it’s hard to be the mom and not have my own mom around to cook for me, ask me about my day, and tuck me in at night.  Steve Dublanica wrote, on his blog Waiter Rant, “I once read cooking is something you do for your family.  But when you’re alone you sometimes have to treat yourself like family.  And now that my apartment’s redolent with the smell of food it feels more like a home than a box where I hang my hat.”  I obviously don’t live alone, but I recently had a day where the girls were both miraculously taking naps at the same time, the house was quiet, and I had one of those moments where I wished I could walk in the door from a day at school to find my mom waiting for me with an after-school snack.  I decided to do as Dublanica suggests and treat myself like family by cooking myself a treat.  I find rice pudding immensely comforting and so whipped up a batch with an Asian twist.  I used Japanese rice and replaced milk with coconut milk and soy milk.

Japanese rice (Japonica)

(As noted in my Slow Cooker Chicken Gohan Stew post, Japanese rice (japonica), a shorter grained rice.  It is often labeled as medium-grain rice, sushi rice, or Calrose rice at the store.)  To sweeten the mixture I used a combination of honey and sugar.  The grains of rice get delightfully plump, creamy, and flavorful.

Coconut Honey Rice Pudding is almost done!

This pudding is not overly sweet and is rich with the flavors of coconut and honey.  After a few bites I could almost close my eyes and imagine my mom was there asking me how I did on that Algebra test in Mrs. Alexander’s class.  I maximized my feelings of comfort with two slightly overindulgent servings.  I may have eaten more, but was saved from caloric overdose by a phone call from Mr. Fuji breaking me from my reverie and reminding me I should probably save some for him.

Coconut Honey Rice Pudding will disappear quick!

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Coconut Honey Rice Pudding

Makes 4 servings

1 3/4 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1/2 cup Japanese rice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch of sea salt
3 tablespoons clover honey, plus more for drizzling

1. Mix together the coconut milk, soy milk, rice, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium size saucepan.

2. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat.  When it begins to boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring often, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed (about 20 to 25 minutes).

3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the honey.  Let the pudding stand for 5 minutes and then divide it among bowls and drizzle with honey and serve.

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{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }

Jenny Flake April 14, 2010 at 7:43 am

Ok, this looks beyond incredible! I think I need to make some today! Beautiful!

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Maria April 14, 2010 at 7:44 am

Glad you were able to make a treat for yourself. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will have to treat myself soon:)

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merry jennifer April 14, 2010 at 7:46 am

Rachael, this looks just amazing. I love rice pudding, and the combination of coconut and honey sounds incredible.

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Juls @ Juls' Kitchen April 14, 2010 at 7:52 am

Absolutely amazing! I want one of your pudding right now!
Delicious flavours mix, I’ll try it soon!
Hugs!

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Debi (Table Talk) April 14, 2010 at 7:53 am

I’m not sure what to comment about first: how much I love the shot of the 2 pudding glasses (one empty/one full), or how much I want to eat some myself!

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Michelle {Brown Eyed Baker} April 14, 2010 at 7:55 am

This sounds awesome! I’ve never made (or even tasted!) rice pudding. I think I need to broaden my horizons because this looks delicious :)

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Tracy April 14, 2010 at 7:55 am

You know, I’ve never tried rice pudding before. Yours looks wonderful!

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Sara April 14, 2010 at 8:05 am

I want to finish the other rice pudding cup!!! :)

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Paula - bell'alimento April 14, 2010 at 8:14 am

Okay I’m stocking up on rice this week ; ) Beautiful presentation as always!

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Michelle April 14, 2010 at 8:28 am

Rice Pudding is my fall back dessert and always a big hit!

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Jen @ How To: Simplify April 14, 2010 at 8:34 am

I’ve never made rice pudding so I’ll definitely have to try this recipe!

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Fuji Nana April 14, 2010 at 8:59 am

And sometimes I wish you were coming home from school and we could sit around the table and chat. (Sniff.) I guess I’ll have to go make some rice pudding….

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home scratch April 14, 2010 at 9:24 am

Oh, how delectably scrumptious! I love finding new ways to make rice pudding! Thanks for this one!

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Brent J April 14, 2010 at 9:59 am

You are an evil cousin. I’m making this for sure.

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Hila April 14, 2010 at 1:01 pm

This looks amazing! I love rice pudding and anything coconut is my fav! I only have brown rice at home…think it could work?

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Fuji Mama April 14, 2010 at 1:03 pm

@Hila, Is it a medium-grain brown rice or a long-grain brown rice? It will work, but not as well if you have a medium-grain–you’ll need to check the rice to make sure it’s done and add a bit more liquid if it’s not at the end of the 25 minutes. Using a long-grain rice will produce a completely different texture!

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Hila April 14, 2010 at 1:13 pm

@Fuji Mama, Hi Racheal,

Its brown basmati…..should I wait to make this till I can get to the store? :(

Your recipes are AMAZING!

Hila

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Fuji Mama April 14, 2010 at 1:21 pm

@Hila, Yeah, basmati would definitely turn out differently. It would probably still be really good, but different! You’d have to watch it carefully for the liquid amounts though. If you’re wanting it to work like mine, I’d wait until you can get to the store! And THANK YOU! You are too sweet!

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Joy April 14, 2010 at 2:22 pm

You just combined my favorite things, rice and coconut. Do you think you could use regular milk instead of soy?

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Fuji Mama April 14, 2010 at 2:25 pm

@Joy, Yes, regular milk would be fine! I used the soy milk to stay with the Asian twist and because too much cows milk upsets my stomach!

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Holly August 5, 2015 at 11:52 pm

So almond milk would work as well?

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Barbara Bakes April 14, 2010 at 2:37 pm

This is my kind of comfort food too! I have some lime infusion honey I brought back from the Caribbean that would be fabulous in this recipe.

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Kelly Azuma April 14, 2010 at 4:52 pm

This looks really good. By the way, I wanted to say, we always use medium grain rice (calrose) but recently for making sushi I bought some rice called “kohoku rose” which is meant to be a “sushi rice” and it’s grown in California. Compared with medium grain calrose it is flatter and a little shorter, and it tastes delicious, much more flavourful than the every day medium grain. The only problem is it’s way expensive ($4.50 for a 1kg bag).
Anyway, I love rice pudding so I’ll definitely try to make it with this rice. I had to have a chuckle though because you used Japanese rice – my Japanese in-laws think rice pudding is a no-go area and is a sin against rice (haha). They refuse to have anything to do with it, including my husband. I grew up with my mum’s rice pudding, cooked in the Pyrex double steamer, and it’s something that I definitely consider one of my favourite treats, so I’m so glad to see you covering it on here! Thank you so much. :)

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Fuji Mama April 14, 2010 at 5:10 pm

@Kelly Azuma, Thanks Kelly! Calrose is just one of the many varieties of Japonica, but one of the ones commonly carried here in the US (thus the reason I listed it). Each of the varieties is slightly different in shape, length, and flavor. I’m familiar with Kohoku Rose–it is delicious! The reason I used Japanese rice is because it acts like Arborio rice, soaking up liquids and becoming nice and plump! The Japanese are rice purists, but other Asian cultures have rice puddings–I had WONDERFUL black rice puddings in Thailand and Hong Kong. Mmmmm…

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Kelly Azuma April 14, 2010 at 5:21 pm

Oh yes, I’ve had a lovely banana sticky rice pudding from Thailand, it was delish! :) Thanks for the info too, I appreciate it! x

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Fuji Mama April 14, 2010 at 5:40 pm

@Kelly Azuma, Ooooooh, I had forgotten about banana sticky rice pudding! Now you’ve got me craving it…I’m totally going to have to find a recipe for that! LOL

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LilSis April 14, 2010 at 6:06 pm

This looks creamy and delicious! I used coconut milk in a recipe for the first time not too long ago and I fell in love with it.

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Diana@Spain in Iowa April 14, 2010 at 6:43 pm

Rachael,

This looks great! I love rice pudding! Can’t wait for my rice cooker :D

XOXO!!

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bunkycooks April 14, 2010 at 6:56 pm

This pudding looks incredibly delicious! It is so nice to have some quiet time at home some days to make some comfort foods for yourself.

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notyet100 April 14, 2010 at 9:05 pm

omg u reminded me of my childhood days,,

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tigerfish April 15, 2010 at 12:43 am

If I am home alone and no one requires me to cook, I will sit back and relax and not touch my kitchen ! ;p

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Kayte April 15, 2010 at 6:39 am

Okay, I will be honest here and say that I don’t like rice pudding b/c if you have read my blog on the TWD rice pudding thing, you already know that…I don’t know what it is, but none of us care for sweet rice. That said, I might have to re-evaluate with the thought of coconut and honey in there…hmmmm…possible to convert at this stage of the game? Not sure, but your photos sure are tempting!

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Amber @ Native Food and Wine April 15, 2010 at 8:44 am

OMG this sounds amazing. I have to try this. I love coconut milk. And who doesn’t need a treat now and then? It sounds lovely and comforting. Thanks for that!

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Cookin' Canuck April 15, 2010 at 9:00 am

This is such a comforting recipe. I’m sure your girls will appreciate your after-school snacks for years to come.

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Divina April 15, 2010 at 6:21 pm

This is heavenly most especially with coconut milk.

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Lauren April 16, 2010 at 7:05 am

Rice pudding is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and this recipe sounds fantastic! I love that you used an unrefined sweetener, and the coconut milk must impart such a delicious flavor.

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Jenné @ Sweet Potato Soul April 16, 2010 at 9:35 pm

looks like you made yourself the perfect treat. its about time I make myself some rice pudding again, and I love that yours has honey in it!

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Cat April 20, 2010 at 2:55 pm

This recipe is amazing, tried it this weekend. The rice is the perfect texture for the dish. What brand of coconut milk did you use?

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) April 20, 2010 at 5:15 pm

@Cat, I’m so glad you liked it! I used Chaokoh coconut milk (my favorite brand).

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Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction April 20, 2010 at 6:41 pm

I saw a recipe for coconut rice pudding in a cookbook a few years ago, and I have thought about it quite a few times since. Now I think I will have to give it a try. This looks incredible!

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Hila April 21, 2010 at 5:47 pm

I finally made it to the store and got the right kind of rice to make this. Yeah…. I might need to put a lock on the fridge so that I don’t eat it all tonight!

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Becky August 17, 2010 at 12:45 pm

I just made this rice pudding but I also added my favourite spice, cardamom pods and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!

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Nivi September 7, 2011 at 7:53 pm

Wow.. yummy! . Have to try it out.

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Anna Kung November 27, 2011 at 7:55 pm

Hi,

I found your website today and I decided to make coconut honey rice pudding for dessert tonight. It was really good but unless you serve 4 small bowls – it’s not enough. It’s really more like 2 servings so I do recommend doubling the recipe. Otherwise, it’s very delicious! Thank you so much!

-Anna

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Saya T April 18, 2012 at 9:40 am

I have had rice pudding many times and to be honest, it is my favorite snack. It is also good with a tiny bit Freshly grated ginger, that is how my grandmother made it and it just adds a bit more “oomph” to it. I hope you will try it one day! :)

-Saya

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Katie@the hill country cook April 28, 2012 at 5:17 pm

Making this right now, but brown rice is all I had, smells sooooo good!!! :)
Added a little cinnamon too!

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Ann April 27, 2016 at 5:07 pm

This was great! I omitted the sugar due to some dietary requirements and just used honey. I also used almond milk and Chaokoh brand coconut milk and it came out very creamy. Very easy to make as well, will definitely be making this again (probably with cardamom as another commenter suggested!).

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