Arroz con leche (Latin American rice pudding with cinnamon)

Short-grain or round-grain rice is ideal: it has more starch than long-grain rice and, when cooked slowly in milk, releases that starch gradually and naturally thickens the mixture. Long-grain rice (such as basmati or jasmine) produces a much thinner, less creamy pudding. Parboil rice is also not recommended because its pre-treatment reduces starch release. The usual ratio is 200 g of short-grain rice per litre of milk.

Three keys: (1) use a heavy-bottomed pot (it distributes heat evenly and reduces hot spots); (2) keep the heat at low throughout the milk-cooking stage — never high heat; (3) stir with a wooden spoon every 3–4 minutes, scraping the bottom well. If it starts to stick, immediately reduce the heat and add a small splash of cold milk. The sugar is added after 20 minutes of cooking, not at the start — adding it too early can encourage the bottom to caramelise.

The classic recipe uses all three aromatics, though the cinnamon stick is the most essential. Lemon peel (without the bitter white pith) adds a subtle citrus note that balances the sweetness; orange peel is optional but adds a warm, fragrant perfume. Vanilla rounds out the flavour. They all go in at the start of the milk-cooking stage and are removed before serving. If you only have ground cinnamon, you can stir it in at the end along with the finishing dust; a cinnamon stick gives a cleaner, more delicate aroma.

Both work perfectly. Warm from the pot, arroz con leche is creamy and comforting. Straight from the fridge it has a firmer texture and a slightly less intense sweetness. As it cools, the rice starch keeps absorbing liquid: a pudding that looks perfectly creamy off the heat can become quite firm after a few hours in the fridge. To reheat: add a splash of milk and warm over low heat while stirring until you recover the texture. A useful trick is to take it off the heat while it still looks slightly thinner than you want — the resting and cooling will do the rest.

For extra creaminess: replace 200 ml of milk with single cream, or add 2 tablespoons of condensed milk along with the sugar. Both options raise the fat content and give a richer result. Dairy-free: use lactose-free milk or a plant-based drink — rice milk is the closest in texture, oat milk also works well; almond or soy milk give good results but the final texture is slightly thinner because they have less protein. With plant-based milk, reduce the rice slightly or add a teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in cold milk at the end to compensate.