Comments on Thai Food by SheSimmers: Thai Black, Purple Rice Pudding with Coconut Cream...

thanks much! i'll definitely try sugar next ti...

2011-11-08T12:52:01.443-06:00

thanks much! i'll definitely try sugar next time i make it - this time i just happened to be out. you're right that this is a simple method, but it is capricious, too!

Roohbaroo - Hmm. This is good to know. Thank you f...

2011-11-08T08:40:15.575-06:00

Roohbaroo - Hmm. This is good to know. Thank you for the report.

The immediate answer is, I don't know. Sugar does affect the gelatinization of starch; that's why it's best to add sugar to this particular recipe towards the end. There may be something about agave nectar that makes the problem worse.

Given the fact that, unlike granulated sugar, agave nectar does not need to be dissolved with heat and can be stirred right into anything at any temperature, if you insist on using it (and nothing wrong with that), you may want to experiment with adding the syrup to the rice pudding after it has completely cooled down.

I'm thinking this may work, though it's merely a guess.

hi! thanks so much for the detailed instructions. ...

2011-11-07T20:07:22.545-06:00

hi! thanks so much for the detailed instructions. i saved this link months ago and finally gave it a try tonight. i had some of the same trouble as a couple of the other commenters - still watery after the prescribed time - so i kept boiling it until it became thicker and then let it sit until the "spoon test" came out right. exciting! but... then i added agave syrup (instead of sugar), let it cool a while, came back after half an hour and it was watery again! frustrating! is it because of using agave instead of sugar? i didn't have any sugar in the house and didn't think it would matter. can't imagine why else it changed like that.

Katherine - You can, but it's best to add the ...

2011-02-05T07:59:15.351-06:00

Katherine - You can, but it's best to add the sugar after the rice has fully released it's starch and become thick. Old crop rice or rice that has been stored for a long time has less moisture than new crop rice or just-harvested rice, and I have a feeling that's what you have. In this case, after boiling the rice and letting it sit, it's important to do a spoon check. If the rice hasn't fully expanded or gotten thick enough so that you can stand a spoon in it, boil it some more and let it sit again until it passes the spoon test. Only then should the sugar be added.

With the batch you made, I think it can still be saved. Try boiling the whole thing some more, uncovered (to aid evaporation). The kernels may not burst open as much, and they may have the texture of cooked wild rice, but at least you'll get some of the moisture out.

Hi! I tried making this delicious looking pudding ...

2011-02-04T23:08:17.063-06:00

Hi! I tried making this delicious looking pudding tonight, with some success and some failure - the flavors are wonderful and everything tastes good, but mine too turned out a little water-y. I'm wondering if it was because I soaked it for an hour and a half or so beforehand, which you mentioned might cause the problem? I already added the sugar after an hour of letting it sit covered, off the heat, but my question is - after adding the sugar, can I still boil it/heat it longer to get it a little more glutinous and a little less watery? Thanks!

Anonymous - Sorry about your comment not showing u...

2010-05-14T08:00:45.237-05:00

Anonymous - Sorry about your comment not showing up sooner. Blogger went crazy yesterday. And when the comment hadn't shown up, it felt weird to answer an invisible question. :)

Well, let's see.

Assuming you have the correct rice and didn't add salt or sugar to the rice while it was boiling, my only theory is that you've been blessed with an extra new crop of rice which has higher moisture content than old crops. It happens sometimes, but more commonly with jasmine rice.

The 1:5 ratio for black sticky rice pudding is pretty standard. Sometimes, you see recipes that suggest somewhere between 1:2.5 to 1:3, but in those cases you're required to let the rice soak in water overnight or at least for 4-5 hours. With a lot of water being absorbed, the actual rice:water at the time of cooking is lower. I don't soak the rice (no other reasons other than that 99% of the time it's unplanned) so I use more water.

The other reason may be due to larger amounts of rice? Sometimes, if you cook more than 3-4 cups of rice in a big, tall pot, you're going to need more than 15 minutes of cooking. I'll make that note to the instructions. Now that I think about it, I've never cooked more than 1.5-2 cups of rice at a time.

Hope you didn't throw it out. When that happens, just continue to boil the rice, hard, some more -- another 15-20 minutes (??). It's the time issue, not the ratio issue.

Thanks for reporting back. I'll add this to the post. :)

Thanks for the post, I love reading your site, and...

2010-05-13T11:59:28.392-05:00

Thanks for the post, I love reading your site, and check it for updates almost daily!
As for this rice dish, I bought the correct rice and I cooked it for the 15 minutes (1 part rice with 5 parts water). But, even after over 60 minutes of letting it sit it was a watery mess... Are you calling for too much water, or am I doing something wrong?

very interesting recipe, I have learned a lot abou...

2009-12-09T19:48:37.431-06:00

very interesting recipe, I have learned a lot about turnadot from your post.

Looks delicious! I have some purple rice in my pan...

2009-12-08T09:57:35.556-06:00

Looks delicious! I have some purple rice in my pantry - will need to make this ASAP!

This is so interesting? Could make a beautiful ar...

2009-12-07T20:21:09.578-06:00

This is so interesting? Could make a beautiful artful dish? love this post. best from Montecito, s

What a fun read, and this rice pudding looks to be...

2009-11-29T08:49:53.021-06:00

What a fun read, and this rice pudding looks to be the perfect topper for a nice meal, or simply a lovely treat on its own. You do not have to decide, whatever your mood or inclination, its up for the challenge.

I'm not an opera fan (and in fact have never s...

2009-11-27T23:46:28.330-06:00

I'm not an opera fan (and in fact have never seen one), so you might say you spoiled that one for me, hehe :) But I did enjoy the analysis!
Don't be embarrassed to blog this because of the process- the product is quite beautiful :)

I love rice pudding! That sounds interesting and d...

2009-11-26T08:39:22.515-06:00

I love rice pudding! That sounds interesting and delicious! I have to try this one soon :)

I love this black rice desserts. Used to eat a lot...

2009-11-26T03:01:33.587-06:00

I love this black rice desserts. Used to eat a lot when I was back home. I have just bought a packet of this rice the other day. Will wait when there are more people at home to cook this. It's fun to eat together.

Haha, I agree with the person who said you had a t...

2009-11-25T09:24:53.414-06:00

Haha, I agree with the person who said you had a talent with juxtaposition.

I'm one of the people who think this rice pudding is complicated, but I promise to give it a try. You've made it seem so easy. I'm putting myself on a challenge to make one new Thai dish a month.

Here's a challenge for YOU, Gorgeous. I'm a fighter pilot and I challenge you to write a post connecting pilots with a Thai dish. Let's see if you can do that.

~Josh

I love this post. Immediately I thought of a cranb...

2009-11-24T19:14:02.904-06:00

I love this post. Immediately I thought of a cranberry sauce analogy. Same mystery surrounding the stuff, yet embarrassingly easy. Boil and add sugar. Allow to cool. Presto!

You have a unique talent with juxtaposition.

P.S. I have to admit, I loved listening to the Puccini while reading about rice.

I've never gone to see Turandot, hope to see i...

2009-11-24T17:29:47.506-06:00

I've never gone to see Turandot, hope to see it someday soon & take my daughter, she's recently getting into opera. The rice pudding looks totally scrumptious!

You can find the connection in almost anything. T...

2009-11-24T17:29:47.505-06:00

You can find the connection in almost anything. That's a good thing of course. Another recipe to try! Does the list ever get shorter?

The pudding still sounds simpler than the characte...

2009-11-23T21:45:38.372-06:00

The pudding still sounds simpler than the characters in the opera - even after you add the complications to the recipe. I guess if the characters can annoy you that much they really are interesting.

I still remember when I first saw Turandot...absol...

2009-11-23T18:32:26.074-06:00

I still remember when I first saw Turandot...absolutely touching...
I had this rice in restaurant, but never made at home...looks yummie!

Thank you so much! I'd love to take place in ...

2009-11-23T17:14:16.021-06:00

Thank you so much! I'd love to take place in the battle, but I'm a busy little bee trying to wrap up my cookbook right now. I wish I had the time.

Gosh your photography is gorgeous. Hopefully I can partake next month!

Sounds simply lovely. And, I found Thai purple ric...

2009-11-23T15:41:37.204-06:00

Sounds simply lovely. And, I found Thai purple rice at our Whole Foods the other day!

I love your blog. The pictures are so good and th...

2009-11-23T14:51:01.343-06:00

I love your blog. The pictures are so good and the instructions are precise. Thank you for taking the time to let us all know of more delicious Thai recipes.

this looks so gooey gooey good!

2009-11-22T19:30:02.974-06:00

this looks so gooey gooey good!

Wonderful precis of Turandot. What I love about P...

2009-11-22T16:30:13.060-06:00

Wonderful precis of Turandot. What I love about Puccini is that dualism of his, as though he couldn't make up his mind whether he was a serious artiste or having fun, whether the audience could follow him or if he had to sweep them along with his arias kicking and screaming. As much as I abhor sentimentalism in almost all other genres, I weep copiously at all the appropriate moments in his works.

And on to more important things: thank you for the pudding recipe. I think I'll keep it up my sleeve in case I ever have a black and white dinner...