I had the pleasure of creating some custom desserts for a baby shower a couple of weeks ago. I made a trio set, but and ultimately, mostly due to budget, we decided to move forward with just one: this Rose & White Mulberry Soy Milk Rice Pudding.
What we enjoyed most about this rice pudding is that it is delicate and refreshing. This makes it perfect for this time of year (June). On top of the flavors we really enjoyed, we also love the fact that folks with most dietary restrictions will be able to enjoy this dessert since it is also gluten-free and vegan.
And what an great choice we made, because we got raving reviews from guests during the event! It always warms my heart when someone comes up to me or pulls me aside and tell me how much they love my creations. 😊
Here is a photo someone took of the rice puddings from the shower. it honestly fits so well with the aesthetics, I couldn’t be happier.
The concept
The soon-to-be mom is of Iranian background, and when I brought up the idea of creating Persian-fusion desserts, she loved it and mentioned her parents would be ecstatic too. Rice pudding is a common Persian dessert, and rose is a common flavor, so it was a no-brainer to combine the two.
I also wanted to elevate the dessert and make it more unique, which is where the idea of torching the top and creating a brûlée came in. It was a fantastic and fun way to add texture and flavor.
Lastly, I wanted to add a little something extra to make the dessert feel even more luxurious and special. However, I didn’t want it to overwhelm or take away from the subtle, but beautiful flavors of the rice pudding brûlée. I wasn’t sure what that could be, but as I was walking the aisles of the international supermarket, I spotted a jar of preserved whole mulberries in syrup. After bringing it home and tasting it, I knew this was it. The preserved white mulberries have a simple, one-tone sweetness and just a bit of fruitiness that truly complements the rice pudding beautifully.
The Ingredients
I tried to link any odd, harder-to-find ingredients from Amazon in the recipe card below, but your best bet would be to visit your local Persian or international supermarket. The selection on Amazon is slim in addition to it being a lot more expensive.
- Short or medium grain white rice: I used Nishiki short grain rice because I find in rice puddings, I prefer the texture of short grain rice and Nishiki is just a dependable brand for quality rice.
- Vanilla soy milk: I wanted to make this recipe vegan and out of all the alternative milk options, I believe that soy milk adds the best flavor to rice pudding. Most soy milks are also flavored with vanilla, which I think complements the rose flavor beautifully and adds just a hint of sweetness and fragrance. The soy milk brand I use is the Costco Organic Vanilla Soy Milk.
- Cane sugar: I am using Costco’s Organic Cane Sugar. I find the flavor of cane sugar a lot better than regular white sugar since it is less refined and thus retains the natural molasses notes from the sugar cane plant.
- Rose water: I used the Sadaf brand of rose water since it seems like a dependable Persian brand. But to be honest with you, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the quality of rose waters anyways! So I think pretty much anything you find in the international market could work here.
- Dried rose petals: Again, like with the rose water, I went with the Sadaf brand here. I did purchase another brand I found at my local Persian supermarket, which also happened to be more expensive than the Sadaf brand, however, I didn’t like the quality as much– the flower petals weren’t as pigmented and were brown in the middle and it didn’t crumble/didn’t feel as dried out as the Sadaf brand.
- Preserved white mulberries: There was only one jar of preserved white mulberries that I found in my local Persian supermarket and it is from the brand called Noyan. I love that the mulberries were preserved whole, making it perfect for decorating the top of the rice pudding, and that the syrup and has bits of floating mulberry seeds, which adds just a bit of interesting texture to the rice pudding.
Rose & White Mulberry Soy Milk Rice Pudding Brûlée
Equipment
- heat proof serving containers like a ramekin. my preference are these 4oz mason jars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup short or medium grain white rice rinsed and thoroughly drained
- 1 cup water
- 3 cup vanilla soy milk
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp rose water
- 1 tbsp dried rose petals crushed
- preserved white mulberries in syrup or dried white mulberries*
Instructions
Making the rice pudding
- Add rinsed short grain rice, water, and 2 cups of soy milk in a pot and bring it to a simmer. Cover, and let it look for 20 minutes.
- Mix in sugar and rose water to the rice porridge.
- Combine the remainder 1 cup of soy milk with cornstarch in a separate bowl. Make sure that the corn starch mixes well without any lumps. At this point, continuously mix the mixture. It will start to thicken. Turn off the heat and let the rice pudding cool. It is okay if the rice pudding looks a bit thin– it will continue to cook and thicken as it cools.
- Transfer the cooled rice pudding into containers and let it chill in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours before serving.
White Mulberries in syrup*
- If you cannot find whole white mulberries preserved in syrup at your local Persian grocery store, you can make it at home with dried white mulberries:Combine dried white mulberries and 1 cup of water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Then, add 1 cup of sugar and continue to cook until the water has reduced and the mixture becomes a thin syrup. Transfer it to a mason jar and cool completely.
Right before serving
- Spoon a thin layer of white mulberry syrup into the bottom of your heat-proof serving containers. Then, top it with chilled rice pudding. Generously sprinkle sugar over the rice pudding and torch the top to create a caramelized layer.If the sugar does not achieve the desired brown color, you may not have added enough sugar. Simply add some more on top and torch it again.The ratios I used using these 4oz mason jars: 1/2 a tsp of simple syrup + 100g of rice pudding in + 1/2 tbsp of cane sugar.
- Sprinkle the top of the brûlée with crushed rose petals and a whole white mulberry. Serve immediately or within the next 15 minutes**. ** If you prepare it further in advance, the caramelized sugar top will not maintain its crispness.
