Arroz DocePortuguese Rice Pudding

No Portuguese party, Christmas or village festa is complete without a big flat dish of arroz doce, decorated with lines of cinnamon in a lattice or someone's initials. It's richer than most rice puddings because of the egg yolks stirred in at the end, and the lemon peel keeps it fresh.

The secret is patience: add the milk a little at a time, like risotto, and stir often.

The recipe

Arroz DocePortuguese Rice Pudding

Creamy Portuguese rice pudding with lemon peel and cinnamon, finished with egg yolks and the classic cinnamon lattice on top. Served cold, at every celebration.

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Prep5 min

Cook50 min

Total55 min

Serves6

Ingredients

MetricUS

Serves

6

½×1×2×3×

• 200 g carolino rice (or another short-grain rice like arborio)
• 400 ml water
• 1 strip lemon peel (no white pith)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• A pinch of salt
• 1 litre whole milk, warmed
• 180 g sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• Ground cinnamon to decorate

Method

1. Put the rice, water, lemon peel, cinnamon stick and salt in a large heavy pan. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the water has almost all been absorbed.
2. Add the warm milk a ladle at a time, stirring often and waiting until each ladle is mostly absorbed before adding the next. This takes about 30–35 minutes. The rice should be very soft and the mixture creamy.
3. Stir in the sugar and cook for 2–3 minutes more, until dissolved. Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon stick.
4. Take the pan off the heat. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl, stir in a ladle of the hot rice, then pour it all back into the pan.
5. Return to very low heat and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes, until it thickens slightly. Don't let it boil, or the yolks will scramble.
6. Spread into a wide, shallow serving dish or individual bowls. Let it cool slightly, then dust lines of ground cinnamon across the top in a lattice.
7. Serve at room temperature or cold from the fridge.

Notes

Clear ticks

Tap ingredients and steps to tick them off. Scaling changes the quantities at the start of each line; check the rest by eye.

Arroz doce vs aletria

Aletria is its cousin, made the same way with thin vermicelli noodles instead of rice. You'll often see both on the Christmas table in the north.

From the shop

What you’ll need

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Costa Nova Brisa stoneware bowl

Portuguese stoneware that's microwave- and dishwasher-safe. The right depth for caldo verde or açorda.

Tip: The Brisa range comes in several colours, so you can mix and match.

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Cutipol GOA starter set, 6 pieces

The GOA design from Portuguese maker Cutipol: slim, elegant and instantly recognisable. A starter set to try it at home.

Tip: Handwash the coloured handles.

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Azorean Cooking by Maria Lawton

Family recipes from the Azores, one of the best-loved Portuguese cookbooks on Amazon.

Tip: Great for Portuguese-American families keeping recipes alive.

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