Add 1 cup + 2 tbsp of water to two Butterfly-pea Flower Tea sachets from Blue Elephant. Let this infuse for a good 10 minutes. After 10 minutes squeeze the tea bags to release all the tea and get that intense blue colour.
Add the rice, blue tea, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla beans to a saucepan and cook the rice on a medium heat until it lightly starts to boil. Then reduce the heat to low and let the rice cook for 10-15 minutes (or until it’s slightly tender) and occasionally stir your rice to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.NOTE: In this recipe I chose for a dessert rice instead of a medium/short grain to cut down on the cooking time. If you use a short/medium grain type of rice then cook the rice for 30-45 minutes on a low heat.
In the meantime heat up 1 cup + 2 tbsp of milk and soak 1 tea sachet (optional) in it. Squeeze out the tea and set this “blue milk tea” aside. NOTE: I’ve used an extra tea sachet, as I wanted to have a more aromatic flavour and intense blue colour (obviously also for the Gram). This is definitely not necessary if you find that your rice pudding already has an aromatic scent.
When the rice is cooked add the blue milk tea (read note no. 3 of the instructions carefully) to the pot and stir well. This blue milk tea will enhance the colour (and aromatic scent), as some of the blue hues fade during the cooking process. The extra milk will also make the rice creamier. If you like a an even more creamier substance feel free to add more milk or coconut milk until you have the desired texture.
Serve the rice pudding hot and add the garnish and toppings.TIPS: - Replace the blueberries with mango or a chunky mango puree- Instead of a final splash of coconut milk replace by a cheeky drizzle of condensed milk.- Add more crunch by adding unsalted cashew nuts, almonds or even granola. If you make my recipes please tag me in them and use #thespicedchickpearecipes. I'd love to see what you've made!
