I know I haven’t written about cooking recently, but tonight I re-discovered something delicious and comforting from my past: rice milk. I used to eat it all the time when I was a kid. Take a bowl of white rice, pour some warm milk over it, add a pinch of sugar and cinnamon, and voila! I guess it’s a popular dish worldwide. It’s eaten everywhere from Norway to Malaysia, so there are plenty of variations. I guess the name is a bit misleading and only refers to one variety of this sweet dish. My version isn’t a pudding or purée, just rice sitting in a bowl of warm milk!
I remember eating this on family camping trips when I was a kid. More recently, I remember requesting warm milk for my rice when eating at the dining hall during my first year at Chico State University (2002–2003). It’s great when you have some left over rice and you want a sweet snack in the morning, especially if it’s cold outside (or if you’re just feeling lazy).
On a side note: I had some German friends over recently and they mentioned that it’s a popular dish in Germany. I know the people in Tala think I’m a Jew/Israelite, but maybe I’m German after all?
I grew up in a village (kinyui) and we ate lots of rice with milk + sugar loads of times. It was either in our home or my friends home and we really loved it. I haven’t eaten it for a while but will sure be eating some soon.
Glad I could inspire/tempt you to try it again! I was using some white rice I bought from Tala’s market, they say it’s “Pakistan” rice (the lowest quality around here), but next time I’ll be sure to buy some pishori!
Rice with sweet or sour yoghurt (maziwa lala) is pretty much de rigor as the last course in a South Indian meal.
I am familiar with South Indian cuisine… Masala dosas are delicious (it’s all I could find for breakfast when I was in Mysore), but raita (yoghurt) with raw onions is not so nice :)
I love rice milk! Glad to read I wasn’t the only kid who used to do that at the end of a meal with rice (which for me was every meal)!
In Japan, at the end of the meal, it’s customary to put your leftover tea in your rice (a nice little twist on the milk). I’ve tried it, it’s pretty good.