Chamomile tea infused Rice pudding

Now, this is time for cooking with friends. After going through few themes , we narrowed down to TEA infused cooking. My initial plan was to bake, but having so much is going around me , I barely had time.

Simple , quick and easy was the mantra i started chanting.Growing up I have never tasted coffee or tea. It was during my college days that I realized I'm allergic to coffee, so strange right? Tea wasn't that hard on me , so I started tasting it randomly. But when my acidity levels peaked up I gave up tea also.

This time I was very particular that I should try some soothing and decaffinated variety for my theme.After going through the tea isle , I was happy to find a chamomile tea. First I brewed a cup for me to understand the flavors so that I can decide how to use that in my cooking. It was flavorful and soothing to the max.

It was almost an evening that something sparkled in me, why don't I try some South Indian. Rice is a staple item there, from papad to crackers, from pudding to Biriyani we have an endless list of recipes.How about a rice based pudding infused with chamomile ? sounds interesting right ?

After a small batch of trial version I was patting my back , yes it tasted out of the world. Rich creamy , flavorful , aromatic , soothing and above all light and melt in mouth kind. And the best part was my little boy enjoyed it like anything. Now that I cooked two more batches and refrigerated to have an endless supply.

Ingredients

Short grain Rice ................................ 1/2 cup
Whole Milk ....................................... 2 cups
Sweetened Condensed milk .............. 1 small can
Chamomile Tea ................................. 3 packets
Water .................................................1 cup
Sugar .................................................optional
Almonds / pistachios ......................... few optional (Roasted)

Pressure cooker Method

Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes.
Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan , turn off the heat and steep the tea packets for 4 minutes.
Add milk and rice to a pressure cooker and cook on medium heat until 3 whistles.
Open the cooker once the pressure is out and add in the tea and condensed milk, sugar if using and mix well.
Cook in simmer for 15 minutes or until a nice and thick consistency.
Serve chilled. You can add chopped nuts just before serving.

Open Pan method :

If you are cooking on a pan , cook rice with water and milk until a mushy consistancy. Slightly mash the rice and add in the tea and condensed milk, sugar if using and mix well.
Cook in simmer for 15 minutes or until a nice and thick consistency.
Serve chilled. You can add chopped nuts just before serving.

Looking for Vegan choice :
You can replace  regular milk with almond / soy milk / coconut milk/ Rice Milk. Add a sweetener of your choice.

Disclaimer:

This is part of our monthly challenge for cooking with friends.This was started by a bunch of bloggers united by their love for food, with an aim of tackling different food related theme every month. Here is a recap of what I've shared earlier.

No Bake berry cheese cake
Crunchy Panko crusted Roasted Asparagus
Strawberry Rose Duo Kulfi 
Jil Jil Jigarthanda
Falafal with Roasted bell pepper Thahini

If you want to try this month's theme, feel free to do so and link your recipe in the comments section, We'd love to check it out.
Meanwhile , check out what others have got for you.


Anjana from At the Corner of Happy and Harried
Dolphia  from storyofcooks
Garima from CafeGarima
 Jayashri from My Veg Fare
 Jyothi from Curry Trail
 Madhuri from MADaboutkitchen and
 Subhasmita from The Flavors of Kitchen