Food Stories is a column in which Best of Vegan community members share recipes from their cultures and personal stories connected to those dishes. Today, Kathryn Alexandre of Tasty, Thrifty, Timely shares her recipe for Vegan Arroz Doce (Portuguese Sweet Rice), a veganized version of a childhood favorite from her Portuguese household.
Here is my recipe for Vegan Arroz Doce (Portuguese Sweet Rice). This was the most common dessert in my Portuguese household and I’m so glad I have developed a vegan version that is just as delicious and comforting as the original!
Ingredients
- 1 cup arborio or short-grain Italian style rice
- 2 cups water
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 2 cups soy milk + 2 tbsp for slurry
- ½ tsp lemon zest can use frozen
- ⅓ cup cane sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
- Pinch turmeric for a bit of yellow color
- 1 tsp cinnamon for the topping
Instructions
- Quickly rinse your rice if desired (the extra starch is a good thing for this recipe) and add to a medium saucepan with water and salt. Bring to a boil. Then stir the rice and turn the heat down to low. Simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove the lid and stir in 1 tbsp vegan butter. Then slowly add the milk ½ at a time. Stir until it’s evenly combined. Stir in the lemon zest (alternatively, use long strips of lemon peel and fish them out at the end of the cooking time).
- Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture back up to just before it boils. Then lower the heat again and simmer with the lid on for another 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Put the lid back on and simmer for another 2-5 minutes to get the rice really nice and tender.
- You can carefully taste the rice and double-check that it is nice and soft and then turn the heat off. If the starch is added when the rice is too hot I find that it can clump up and overheat. So allow the rice to cool just a little bit while you make a slurry.
- To make the slurry, whisk the starch and a pinch of turmeric in a small dish. Then add 2 tbsp soy milk and whisk until it makes a smooth slurry with no starch visible and no clumps.
- Once the steam has settled down a bit from your rice, slowly pour the slurry in, a little at a time, while you stir with your other hand. This will ensure that it’s evenly incorporated and won’t clump.
- Keep stirring for about 2-3 minutes and the rice will get nice and thick. If you scoop some up on a spoon it should stay on the spoon for a moment before dropping off. If it’s too liquidy for some reason try adding a bit more starch (using the same method for the slurry as before). The rice will thicken even more as it cools.
- Divide the rice between serving bowls. I divide it between 2 to 3 dishes but you can serve it in individual pudding cups if preferred. You can enjoy it right away or allow it to cool. It is often traditionally served chilled. Set it to cool on the counter for about 1 hour until you can’t feel the heat coming off the rice.
- Then decorate your rice by making a criss-cross pattern with cinnamon. Pinch the cinnamon between two fingers and sprinkle it on the rice (if you add the cinnamon while the rice is warm it may melt into the rice).
- Store in the fridge and serve cold or reheat if desired. Lasts 2-3 days in the fridge.
Notes
Text, recipe, and photography by Kathryn & Bryan of Tasty, Thrifty, Timely.
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Hi I’m Kathryn! An actress and the recipe creator behind Tasty, Thrifty, Timely. My husband Bryan is behind-the-scenes of our photos and videos. We hope you enjoy our easy recipes that make vegan cooking at home… Tasty, Thrifty, and Timely! Follow Kathryn on Instagram | Visit the Tasty Thrifty Timely Blog.
