Tropical Vegan Rice Pudding with Dragon Fruits and Rambutans

Recipe Type: Desserts

A wise person once said, ‘Desserts are the fairytales of the kitchen - a happily-ever-after to supper!’ How about completing a special dinner with a carefully crafted vegan dessert infused with subtle tropical flavours that play a symphony of freshness and piquancy on your palate? Here’s a vegan take on a classic desert with a tropical twist!

Ingredients:

• Fragrant long grained rice (Basmati Rice): 100gm
• Coconut Milk: 3 cups
• Organic Brown Sugar: 5 tablespoons
• Fresh Lemongrass: a couple of handfuls, bruised
• Kaffir Lime Leaves: 2-3

Fruit Topping:

• Dragon Fruit: 1 cup, diced with pink membrane
• Rambutans: 150gm
• Sugar and Lime Syrup -1/8 cup water+1/4 cup sugar simmered until sugar dissolves

Process:

• Gently heat about 3 tablespoons of coconut milk and add lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves and leave it to infuse covered overnight in the fridge.
• Rinse the rice with water for 3-4 changes, strain the water well and grind it coarsely.
• Soak it in water while you heat the coconut milk in a deep pot.
• Bring the milk to boil and simmer it. Drain the rice and add to the simmered milk and keep stirring and cook for about 10-15 minutes till the rice is cooked.
• Add sugar and cook till it dissolves completely and achieves a thick consistency.
• Adjust the sugar as per the desired sweetness.
• Turn off the heat and once the pudding turns lukewarm, add the lemongrass-kaffir lime infusion and mix well.
• Once cooled to room temperature, add to serving bowls and refrigerate.
• This will thicken it and set to a pudding consistency.
• Once you achieve the desired consistency, toss in the dragonfruit and rambutans in the sugar-lime syrup and serve over the pudding.
• Garnish with basil leaves and fruit and relish it!

Pro Tips:

~ Lemongrass and kaffir lime infusion gives a mild twist to traditional flavours. For an additional punch and burst of flavour, you can squeeze in some ginger juice to the infusion

~ The mild colour palette of the dragon fruit and firmness of the rambutans add great textures and drama to this dessert.

~ If the creamy and nuttiness from the coconut milk isn’t you favourite, you can also replace it with other plant-cased milk options like almond or cashew milk!