Black Glutinous Rice Porridge with Coconut Milk

Introduction

Black glutinous rice cooks down into a thick porridge with a mild chew, and the salted coconut milk sauce keeps the sweetness from turning heavy. You can serve it warm as a dessert or make it ahead and reheat it for breakfast or small snack portions.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Servings: 6

Ingredients

Porridge

• 250 grams black glutinous rice
• 1 ½ litres water
• 2 pandan leaves
• 250 grams coconut sugar or palm sugar, microwaved for couple minutes to dissolve easily
• 1 pinch salt

Coconut milk sauce

• 350 ml thick coconut milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 pandan leaves

Instructions

Porridge

1. Soak black glutinous rice in water overnight.
2. Drain the rice. Cook with water and pandan leaves until soft and thick.
3. Add coconut sugar and salt, and continue cooking until the sugar is dissolved and the water is absorbed.

Coconut milk sauce

1. Cook thick coconut milk with salt and pandan for a few minutes.
2. Serve the black rice pudding in a bowl, and pour coconut milk sauce on top.

Variations

• Use palm sugar instead of coconut sugar for a darker, deeper sweetness with more caramel notes.
• Reduce the coconut sugar to 200 grams if you want the rice flavor to come through more clearly and the finish to be less sweet.
• Thin the thick coconut milk with 2 to 4 tablespoons of water before cooking if you want a lighter sauce that pours more easily over the porridge.
• Omit the pandan leaves if you cannot get them; the porridge will still work, but the flavor will be less floral and less aromatic.
• Cook the porridge a little longer after adding the sugar if you want a denser, stickier bowl that sets up more as it cools.

Tips for Success

• Soak the black glutinous rice overnight; it shortens the stovetop cooking and helps the grains soften evenly.
• Keep the heat moderate when cooking the rice with water and pandan leaves so the bottom does not catch before the grains turn tender.
• Microwave the coconut sugar or palm sugar as written so it dissolves faster and does not sit in hard lumps in the porridge.
• Stop the coconut milk sauce after a few minutes of gentle cooking; prolonged boiling can make it look oily or slightly separated.
• Expect the porridge to thicken as it cools, so take it off the heat when it is still a little looser than you want in the bowl.

Storage and Reheating

Store the porridge and coconut milk sauce in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze the porridge for up to 1 month in a freezer-safe container, but the coconut milk sauce is better refrigerated than frozen because it can separate.

Reheat the porridge on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave in short bursts, adding a splash of water to loosen it as needed. Warm the coconut milk sauce gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until just heated through, then stir before serving.

FAQ

Can you use regular black rice instead of black glutinous rice?

You can, but the texture will be looser and less sticky. Black glutinous rice is what gives the porridge its thick, pudding-like body.

Can you make this ahead?

Yes. Cook the porridge and coconut milk sauce, cool them separately, and store them in the fridge so you can reheat only what you need.

Why did the porridge get much thicker after cooling?

Black glutinous rice continues to absorb liquid as it sits. Stir in a little hot water during reheating until it returns to the texture you want.

What kind of coconut milk works for the sauce?

Use thick, full-fat coconut milk for the richest texture. If it seems too heavy, thin it slightly with water before warming it with the salt and pandan.