This Mexican Sweet Rice Drink (Atole de Arroz) is a creamy cinnamon and vanilla-infused hot beverage with a porridge-like consistency that's perfect cold weather days.
Ingredients
4 cups nondairy milk (soy milk or homemade almond milk)
2 sticks cinnamon (or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or both)
4-5 Tablespoons raw sugar (or coconut sugar or plain white sugar)
pinch of salt
½ cup rice
2 cups water
Instructions
Add the nondairy milk, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, sugar, and salt to a large pot over medium-high heat and bring it to a simmer. Turn off the heat.
Rinse the rice a few times, then drain and put it into the blender with the water. Blend on high until the rice is broken down into the texture of coarse sand (around 1 minute blend). Make sure there aren't any large or whole pieces of rice stuck to the side of the blender jar. You want a uniform consistency.
Add the blended rice to the simmered milk and turn the heat back on to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring frequently. Once bubbles start to break the surface and the mixture has thickened, reduce heat to low. Cook the mixture on low for 10-12 minutes while stirring frequently.
The rice should now be cooked. Take a taste to ensure that the little bits of rice are completely soft. Remove from the heat and now add the ground cinnamon or vanilla extract (if you're using them). Serve while hot in cups or mugs with a spoon on the side and a garnish of cinnamon on top.
Notes
-Other flavorings you could use: a few pieces of lemon or orange rind, a sprig of lemon verbena, a stalk of lemongrass, a few lemon leaves, chopped chocolate or cocoa powder.
-I like it with 4-5 Tablespoons of sugar but if you like it sweeter, go ahead and add more sugar after you've taste-tested the doneness of the rice.
Recipe by Lands & Flavors at https://www.landsandflavors.com/mexican-sweet-rice-drink-atole-de-arroz/