Mama’s Rice Pudding

Today is my mother’s birthday. She would have been 99. I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately, and when one day last week remained grey and somber past noon, I began thinking about her rice pudding.

When I was a little girl, Mom offered rice pudding as a response to just about everything.

Tummy bug? Rice and barley pudding with weak tea.

Bad day at school? Rice pudding with strawberry jam.

Celebration? Fresh strawberries and clotted cream.

Mom always made her rice pudding from scratch, starting with raw rice in a large casserole. She covered the rice with evaporated milk and cooked it slowly in the oven for hours, filling the house with its cloying scent as the rice absorbed the liquid. Then she would turn off the oven, stir in a bunch of raisins and leave the casserole there overnight. The next day she would beat eggs, more evaporated milk, sugar, and cinnamon together and stir them into the rice. She would bake this mixture for several hours, again very slowly.

The resulting pudding was delicate, comforting, and delicious. It was also custardy, and came out of the oven with a brown and yellow crust on the top and plump, tender raisins throughout. I loved to bury pieces of that crust in my bowl and eat them slowly, chewing the crisp morsels along with the soft rice and fruit.

I found a recipe on the internet that makes a good approximation of my mother’s pudding HERE.

But what I want to share with you today is the streamlined version I invented on that foggy day last week.

Where is the Rice Pudding?

I much prefer brown rice to white, and don’t keep white rice in my larder. So, as much as I love rice pudding, I rarely eat it (brown rice pudding just isn’t the same thing). On that cold and foggy day, however, my craving for rice pudding totally overwhelmed my concentration on writing, so off to the grocery store I went, seeking a container of commercially made pudding to satisfy my desire. Surely you’ve seen the stuff – filled with sugar and cream and calories and who knows what else, usually in the refrigerator section not too far from the far healthier yoghurts.

But this day I came up with nothing. None of the store employees could help me. Someone finally said lamely, “I guess we don’t  carry that any more.” To be fair, it’s probably five years since I went looking for it, and there has been an owner change since then.

What to do?  I roamed aimlessly around the store for a while, my craving for rice pudding not diminishing in the face of failure. Then, voila! I spied the cheater packages of rice of all kinds. This kind of convenience food allows working folks and single people to eat rice at a moment’s notice without having to cook it from scratch. Simply pop it in the microwave and you’re ready.  I zeroed in on a package of Aromatic Basmati Rice.

I took my prize home and heated it in the microwave as instructed on the package, for 90 seconds. I then measured the contents – about 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice. In a medium saucepan I combined the rice with 1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk, about 1/8 cup of sugar, and a dash of salt.  I then cooked the mixture over medium heat about 15 minutes, until it was thick and creamy.  I added another 1/2 cup of milk that I had beaten with an egg, a handfull of raisins and some cinnamon. and simmered about two minutes more, until the egg was cooked. At the end I added a teaspoon of vanilla.

It wasn’t quite my mother’s rice pudding, but it only took 20 minutes, and it tasted wonderful.

Oh, and why evaporated milk?  My mother learned to make rice pudding during World War II, when fresh milk was hard to come by – so was sugar for that matter, which is why her pudding was not so sweet as modern versions. Just the way I like it.

Rice Pudding for Dinner

There may be some of you out there that do not, actually, like rice pudding. I leave you with this little verse. I didn’t understand it as a child. I think you can see why:

What is the matter with Mary Jane?
She’s crying with all her might and main.
And she won’t eat her dinner – rice pudding again
What is the matter with Mary Jane?

What is the matter with Mary Jane?
I’ve promised her dolls and a daisy chain
And a book about animals – all in vein
What is the matter with Mary Jane?

What is the matter with Mary Jane?
She’s perfectly well, and she hasn’t a pain
But look, now she’s starting again.
What is the matter with Mary Jane?

What is the matter with Mary Jane?
I’ve promised her sweets and a ride on the train.
And I’ve begged her to stop for a bit and explain.
What is the matter with Mary Jane?

What is the matter with Mary Jane?
She’s perfectly well, and she hasn’t a pain.
And it’s lovely rice pudding for dinner again!
What is the matter with Mary Jane?

A. A. Milne

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