Brown Rice Milk Rice {childhood memories with a twist}

Tags

blackberries, breakfast, brown rice, childhood meals, glutenfree, healthy, milk rice, recipe, vegan

A lot of our childhood memories are connected to a special smell or taste, so no wonder that some dishes we ate throughout our childhood are awakening those memories and make us feel all warm and fuzzy. It might be the mac’n’cheese casserole your aunt used to serve on birthday parties, or the waffles your mom made for Sunday dinner, or the first cookies you decorated together with your siblings. To me one dish reminds me particularly of my childhood: milk rice. My mom used to make it the night before for an easy reheatable lunch if she would not be at home the next day. So when my brother and I came home from school we just popped the milk rice in the microwave, enjoyed the smell filling the kitchen and hat sweet, ooey gooey milk rice for lunch.

Nowadays I still enjoy to have milk rice from time to time, but it is more of a breakfast thing now and I mostly use leftover grains from lunch or dinner. This version should be prepared the evening before to sit overnight or at least 2 hours before eating. This way it can thicken up a bit to achieve the desired consistency.

Brown Rice Milk Rice

1/3 cup brown rice leftovers (or freshly cooked)
1 cup milk of choice (almond milk, soy milk or just the normal kind)
1 egg *for vegans: 1 flax egg (1 T ground flaxseeds mixed with 2 T water)
1/2 tsp carobgum or agar-agar *opt – thickens the milk rice
1 T agave syrup or honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
dash of salt
1 tsp coconut oil (or butter for a closer to your childhood version)
1/4 cup blackberries
lots of love

Place rice and milk in a pot on the stove and wait until it starts cooking. Turn the heat on medium low and close with a lid. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Mix the carobgum/agar-agar with 1 tbsp of water. Take the pot from the stove and whisk the mixture quickly in, add agave/honey, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Put back on the stove and let simmer for two more minutes while whisking the egg or preparing the flax egg. Take the pot from the stove again and mix the (flax-)egg in. Let cook for additional 5 minutes before adding the coconut oil or butter and pouring the milk rice in a bowl. Place the blackberries on top and press some of them into the milk rice. Let it cool for half an hour before wrapping with foil and placing in the fridge.

The next day you could either enjoy the dish cold (I prefer it that way) or reheat it in the microwave, which is also quite tasty. And don’t forgot the generous sprinkle of almond butter and agave on top – it makes all the difference, though it is something mom didn’t know.