vanilla rice pudding

serves 4

100g (3½oz/generous ½ cup) flaked pudding rice

800ml (28fl oz/3½ cups) vanilla-flavoured soya milk

1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar

1 vanilla pod (bean)

Rice pudding doesn’t have to be reserved for the days when you’ve got hours to bake; this stove-top version is fuss free and ready in just 10 minutes. Flaked pudding rice is the magical ingredient here as it cooks so quickly and recreates a pudding that will take you back to childhood teatimes.

In a large pan, heat the rice, soya milk, and sugar over a high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Scoop them into the pan and stir through. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for a further 5 minutes until rice pudding has thickened.

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Vanilla seeds scraped from the whole pod give the sweetest flavour. If you don’t have pods available, use a tablespoon of good-quality vanilla paste instead.