Arroz Doce — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Creamy, lemon-scented rice pudding enriched with egg yolks and decorated with cinnamon patterns on the surface. A sweet, comforting dessert found at every Portuguese celebration and family table.

Ingredients

200g short-grain rice
1 liter whole milk
200g sugar
4 egg yolks
Zest of 2 lemons
1 cinnamon stick
Pinch of salt
Ground cinnamon for decoration
1 tbsp butter

Instructions

1 Cook rice in 500ml of water with a pinch of salt until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
2 In a separate pot, heat milk with lemon zest and cinnamon stick until steaming. Steep 5 minutes, then strain.
3 Add hot milk to the cooked rice. Stir in sugar and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick and creamy.
4 Remove from heat. Beat egg yolks and temper by adding a few spoonfuls of hot rice mixture, then stir back into the pot. Add butter.
5 Cook 2 more minutes on very low heat, stirring constantly. The mixture should be thick but pourable.
6 Pour into shallow dishes. Smooth the top and decorate with ground cinnamon patterns. Cool to room temperature, then chill.

Did You Know?

The cinnamon decoration on arroz doce is an art form — Portuguese grandmothers create elaborate geometric patterns, hearts, and flowers using just a toothpick.