Arroz Con Leche

I have made a very loved specialty called Arroz con Leche. This home-made delicacy can be described as a dessert or just a favorite family dish to be eaten over certain days such as Christmas morning, Thanksgiving as a dessert, rainy cold days when the whole family is together, or on your healing days after an illness. You can eat this specialty in your favorite mug, as I do :)

o   Pot (size: 5 quartz or more)

o   Stove

o   Water - 5 cups

o   White long enriched rice - 2 cups

o   1 Cooking Solid Spoon

o   1 Can opener

o   Butter - 3 large spoonfuls

o   Vanilla extract - 1 Teaspoon

o   1 gallon milk (either whole or low/reduced fat)

o   1 Colander -preferably with tiny openings and not the standard size so rice does not fall through.

o   1 Canned sweetened condensed milk (net weight 14 oz)

o   1 Canned evaporated milk (net 12 oz)

o   1 regular table spoon

o   1-3 cinnamon sticks (3 MAX!)

o   Optional: small stainless steel mesh container/holder

o   Using colander, rinse rice under running water over sink, do so until running water turns clear. 

• Tip: With your hand/fingers move rice around and softly rub rice against colander to expedite this step.

o   Turn stove on heat level 7, place pot on stove, and add the butter in - butter should be melting almost immediately.

o Place spoon in proximity- you will need it later.

o   Place rice in pot and stir

o   Optional: Use the colander or a small metal mesh container to hold the cinnamon sticks in, since they may break off into small bits-take out before milk is poured in. This optional step is not recommended due to lessening the flavor quality.

o   Add water and cinnamon sticks in pot

o   Open but do not pour canned condense milk with table spoon on stand by to use (you will need it)

o   Open but do not pour canned evaporated milk 

o   Water should be boiling by now, just stir rice around occasionally

o   Cinnamon sticks should be opening up and/or breaking off

o   Once water is at a very low level in pot, the rice should be softened up (should take approximately 20-30 minutes)

o   Fill pot up with approximately 5 or 6 cups of milk

• Tip: You may add more if you have a larger pot

o Lower down heat level by one (if currently at 7, go down to 6)

o   Add vanilla extract

o   Add full can of condensed milk (use your spoon for assistance!- its ok if butter is still stuck on it- its all going in together)

o   Add full can of evaporated milk

o   Now with your butter up sticky spoon, stir! – It will immediately start wanting to stick to the bottom of the pan, so scrape the sticky off the bottom of the pot, if any- This will help clean the spoon easier later since the butter and condensed milk will come off when doing this step.

o   Grab your regular kitchen solid cooking spoon and get rid of your table spoon.

o   Continuously stir while waiting for rice to become fully cooked and to avoid rice and sweeteners sticking to bottom of pot- the amount of butter should help prevent that but it's not magic!

• Tip: Make sure you are touching almost as if scraping the bottom of the pot with your cooking spoon!

o   Once milk is starting to slowly boil do not stop stirring; Milk should start looking a bit frothy.

• Tip: When boiling is getting faster and intense lower heat level down to 5 or 4.

o   Milk should now be slightly thick and rice should be looking soft and yummy.

o Turn stove off if rice is fully cooked (rice should not be crunchy or slightly hard)

• Tip: Add more milk if rice is needing to be cooked more, continue stirring as instructed above.

o   Rice should be very soft when chewed and milk should have a mild thick consistency. 

o Add more milk if desired to lessen the thickness

• Fun Fact: When it is done and no longer being stirred, a waxy thick layer will form over the rice- just stir it in, it will dissolve within the rice.
• Fun Fact: If it is put away for the next morning or evening, you will need to add additional milk to keep it from becoming mush when reheating.
• Fun Fact: You may see yellow/orange small substances in rice when stirring but that is the sweeteners caramelized. You may take them out if you want but not necessary.
• Fun Fact: Rice is a great absorber, so add more milk if needed.