Kid-Friendly Eats: Coconut Rice Pudding

We have a new column here at Sassy Mama… Kid-Friendly Eats! Helmed by one of our favourite foodies, Melissa is here to share her latest (and greatest!) family-friendly recipes that are sure to fill your kids’ tummies with healthy goodness!

Under-fives are little powerhouses of development and growth that require huge amounts of energy. Carbohydrates are a particularly important food group for growing bodies, so don’t scrimp on pasta, cereals and rice, mama!

This delicious coconut laced rice pudding has recently become my toddler son’s new favourite. I make this using fresh coconut milk that I purchase from the Tekka Markets in Little India, as well as a qood quality Arborio rice. It’s so simple to prepare, full of flavour, freezes well and is lovely eaten warm or cold. I suggest serving it with some toasted shredded coconut and a steamed fruit (we adore apple or strawberry) for some added nutrition.

Coconut Rice Pudding

Ingredients

100g arborio rice
50g caster sugar (or alternative sweetener – see notes*)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
400ml coconut milk
200ml coconut cream
200ml water

Directions

1. Heat oven to 150°C.
2. Combine the rice, sugar, vanilla, coconut milk, coconut cream and water in a bowl. Stir and pour into a shallow ovenproof dish.
3. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring three or four times throughout the cooking time. Do leave it untouched for the last 30 minutes so it develops a nice skin.
4. Serve immediately, topped with toasted shredded coconut or divide into portions and freeze.

Makes 12 serves.
Serving size ~78g per portion

* For those looking to reduce or eliminate sugar in their children’s (or their own) diet this pudding is equally nice with no sugar included, as sweetness can be brought into the dish through the addition of fresh or steamed fruit when serving.

If you would like to add a sweetener when preparing the dish but would prefer not to include refined sugar you can always substitute the caster sugar with rapadura sugar, which is the most unrefined whole cane sugar available.

However, do note that this will slightly change the colour and the flavour of the pudding, however I find it delicious all three ways!

Melissa Bujtor, originally from Australia, now based in Singapore, is an ex-banker turned mum and budding food and lifestyle photographer. She is extremely passionate about all things food, especially when she can combine it with her other love – travel! You can view Melissa’s work and contact her via her blog here.